Update - Community - AYUDA - Mexico June 2006

More than two-dozen students and faculty were recognized during the 90th convocation banquet of the Zeta chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon national dental honor society on
May 8.

The evening’s program was kicked off by Dean Slavkin’s opening remarks and included the induction of new alumni members from the graduating D.D.S. Class of 2006. These individuals rank academically in the top 20 percent of their doctoral dental graduating class. All were chosen based on scholarship, leadership and community service.


Karen L. Arnott Dannelle R. Carpio Paul K. Ferraro Mina Hafezi John R. Jerome Laurie Kane Doil Kim	Young Hwa Kim Jesse L. Lanzon Vadim Lebovich David H. Lee Karen Jing Liang Jason M. Loop Gerald Lopez Tristen T. Nguyen	Nikunj M. Rajyani Alireza Sharafi Derek D. Soden Scott D. Stringham Lloyd L. Trieu Allen Yaghoubzadeh Rachel M. Yorita

On occasion, OKU inducts honorary members. This year the Zeta chapter inducted Charles Michael Bowers, a 1975 USCSD graduate and clinical associate professor, as an honorary member. Bowers, who practices in Ventura, has worked for many years with Charlie Goldstein and the Mobile Clinic program. He has also published three books and lectured throughout the world on the topic of forensic dentistry.

Scholarships, several of which are named in honor of former faculty members, were also awarded to seven students who have demonstrated their potential in academics, service and leadership:

Tristen Nguyen - Omicrom Kappa Upsilon; Zeta Chapter Scholar – 4th year
John Worthington - Omicron Kappa Upsilon; Zeta Chapter Scholar – 2nd year
Gerald Takeoka - Charles S. O’Grady Memorial Scholar
John Jerome - Donald C. Curnette Memorial Scholar
Joseph Field - Dexter Smith Memorial Scholar
Abheer Jayakar - Robert Wallin Memorial Scholar
Dezireh Sevanesian - Everett Payne Memorial Scholar

This year's guest speaker was USCSD faculty member Charlie Goldstein, who stressed the balance between the business of dentistry and public service.

"I will make a plea to you to help those in need," Goldstein said. "When you're first in practice you'll have some free time in your schedule when you can provide care for a child in need...offer to screen kids at a local preschool or elementary school; volunteer one day a week or month at a free clinic; treat one needy child a month in your practice; treat a homebound patient; speak at a senior citizens center; organize other dentists to do the same.”

"Those in the health professions have an obligation to serve those in need. We are the only ones trained to do so," he said.

Outgoing president Donald Kornblau turned over leadership to Harris Done, OKU’s 2006-07 president. Timothy Saunders is president-elect and Frank Yorita serves as vice president for the coming year. John Sanders continues as the organization’s secretary-treasurer and Irene Reyna as executive secretary.