 As we enter March 2004, I would like to reflect on one of our very wonderful celebrations.
The USC School of Dentistry celebrates 107 years of contributing to what is thought, what is taught and what is practiced in the oral health professions. Our remarkable faculty, staff, students and alumni continue to make significant contributions to the community of oral health care professions. For more than a century, USC has emphasized dental education, science and technology through innovations, oral health patient care and service. Clinical excellence has been the goal!
This month we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of our illustrious Dental Hygiene Program at USC. The Dental Hygiene Program was founded in 1928 in the “Flatiron Building” on the corner of Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street under the direction of Cora L. Ueland. Mrs. Ueland earned a master’s degree and led this program for 28 years. One of her contributions at USC was to emphasize that all dental hygiene graduates were not only technically skilled, but that they were university educated and thinking people who also embraced a dedication to service of the highest order. At that time, the didactic and clinic experiences were gained in a two-year program using facilities in the Flatiron Building and clinics located at 16th and Los Angeles Streets. During the 1940s, dental hygiene students increasingly entered with credentials that earned them a Bachelor of Science degree upon completion of their studies.
In 1948, the dental college became the USC School of Dentistry. In 1952, the dental school and the dental hygiene program both physically moved to the present location on 34th Street onUSC’s University Park Campus. In 1956, Adele Wayman directed the program. In 1958, Ruth Ragland became director, and Ruth made extraordinary advances in the art and science of dental hygiene. In 1962, Ruth was instrumental in USC’s adoption of a policy that required all students to complete two years of college before beginning the two-year program in dental hygiene, and the USC B.S. degree became the gold standard for all graduating students. Ruth held the leadership position for 27 years and was responsible for continual improvements and advancesin the USC program as well as becoming a nationally recognized “expert” in the larger field of comprehensive oral health care. Under Ruth Ragland’s leadership, several thousand very talented students were educated and trained. From this group, a number were inspired to advance their own education by earning master’s and doctoral degrees and became outstanding leaders of other programs around the nation. Thereafter, Anna Pattison, Sandra Rich, Bill Crawford, Peggy Tsitsui, and currently Diane Melrose have provided inspiration, motivation, direction and leadership for this remarkable USC program.
Today, USC is one of 28 universities that offer a B.S. degree in dental hygiene. Today, we have increased our efforts to promote health, define risk factors and prevent disease while advancing our effectiveness in utilizing advanced imaging, diagnostics, therapeutics and techniques. Today, we better understand the relationships between oral and systemic health and disease. Today, we better address oral health gaps or disparities through engagement with service learning in our Southern California community. And today we spend more time focusing on quality and ways to improve quality in all areas of the USC School of Dentistry.
Through the imaginative and untiring efforts of Diane Melrose, current director of the USC Dental Hygiene Program, we are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of this very special program. Please join with Diane and all of us who champion this program on Saturday, March 27, 2004 for a unique moment to reflect on the past and to dream of the future. A very unique CE course, “Update in Periodontal Therapy,” will be presented by Anna Matsuishi Pattison, RDH, M.S. and a previous director of the USC Dental Hygiene Program. The course will run from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Norris Theater. Anna will review the evolution of science and technology at USC from 1928 to the present. This one-of-a-kind course will then be followed by a reception at Town and Gown from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to honor and celebrate 75 years of clinical excellence at USC. This opportunity is also serving to advance our fundraising campaign to increase endowed student scholarships in dental hygiene at USC. Please contact the office of development (DEN 202) at x00428 for reservations and additional information.
The University of Southern California Dental Hygiene Program has a major legacy and a superb future. Our faculty in dental hygiene are internationally respected for outstanding research, education, patient care, outreach programs and service to the region, the state of California, the nation and beyond. At USC, dental hygiene is integrated with the entire dental education enterprise and collaborates and partners with many predoctoral D.D.S. and advanced residency programs. At USC it is now time to reach for an even higher level! At USC, the future is bright! |
