College of Dental Medicine Honored with Achievement Award

NEW YORK, NY – The ADEAGies Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Dental Education Association, has selected Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine (CDM) for a 2014 William J. Gies Award, for outstanding achievement by an academic dental institution in support of dental education. The award recognizes CDM’s Community DentCare program, which provides low- or no-cost dental care to children, adults, and seniors in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

“The relationships CDM has developed with the residents of the Washington Heights, Inwood, and Harlem communities of Northern Manhattan, and of the Bronx, are mutually rewarding and central to the College’s mission,” said Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, dean of CDM. “Community DentCare is a tremendous opportunity for our faculty members to share their expertise not only with our neighbors, but with our students. We are proud of this work and honored to be recognized by the ADEAGies Foundation.”

The William J. Gies Awards, named after William J. Gies, PhD, a cofounder of CDM, honors individuals and organizations exemplifying dedication to the highest standards of vision, innovation, and achievement in dental education, research, and leadership. In 1926, Dr. Gies published a report, “Dental Education in the United States and Canada,” which is credited with establishing dentistry as an essential component of academic health sciences education.

“Given the history behind the Gies Awards, it is particularly gratifying to receive this recognition from the ADEAGies Foundation,” said Stephen Marshall, DDS, MPH, associate professor of dental medicine at CUMC and senior associate dean for extramural programs at CDM. “Through our public school-based clinics and Mobile Dental Center, Community DentCare enables us to extend oral health care to thousands of individuals every year who otherwise might not have access to care.”

Community DentCare involves a network of partnerships and collaborations with schools and community health clinics to provide Northern Manhattan’s low-income, underserved, and uninsured residents with access to comprehensive, affordable, and quality dental care. It has provided more than 150,000 patient care visits since its inception in 1996.

The impetus for starting the program was a Washington Heights school principal, who reached out to CDM seeking dental care for the numerous children at her school who were unable to attend class because of toothaches.

Community DentCare has established eight school-based dental clinics, and the program’s Mobile Dental Center van visits more than 80 locations throughout Northern Manhattan and the Bronx, offering comprehensive dental care to children ages 3–5.

The program also provides free screenings, treatment, and education to hundreds of Northern Manhattan children each year as part of the American Dental Association’s national Give Kids a Smile Day.

Community DentCare was established by CDM, the Harlem Hospital Dental Services, and other community groups.

Please click here to read the ADEAGies Foundation news release about the 2014 Gies Awards.

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Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, one of the first dental schools in the United States, was founded in 1916. Its mission is to train general dentists and dental specialists in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care; to support research to advance the professional knowledge base; and to provide dental care to the underserved communities of Northern Manhattan. Its faculty has played a leadership role in advancing the inclusion of oral health programs in national health-care policy and has developed novel programs to expand oral care locally and in developing countries. CDM is developing an international program in education and service. For more information, visit dental.columbia.edu.

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.