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AAE 2019-2020 Annual Report

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”- A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Dear AAE Members,

This has been a year to remember! The start of the year was with the conclusion of our meeting in Montréal on April 13, 2019, and the end of the year was with our first, virtual AAE General Assembly on April 30, 2020. The many events over the 383 days of AAE 2019-2020 are consequential and have become life-changing for all of us, but let me start at the beginning.

The AAE’s Strategic Plan calls for addressing vital issues such as: the public value saving their natural teeth and seeking endodontists for treatment, the dental profession valuing endodontists as partners with advanced expertise in providing patient care. The third part of our strategic plan is to have the AAE and its members be recognized as the global leaders in advocating the value and quality of endodontics. Our hopes for reaching out to more international members began with the Asia Pacific Conference (APEC) held in Istanbul. Accompanied by our executive director, Ken Widelka, we met with the  leadership of APEC to establish mutually beneficial areas of concern and cooperation. Other meetings throughout the remaining year of 2019 occurred with the leaders of the European Society of Endodontology (ESE), Canadian Academy of Endodontics (CAE), Brazilian Endodontic Society (SBENDO), and PanEndo (Egyptian Association of Endodontists). All of the leaders were invited to our annual meeting in Nashville to participate in our first planned International Forum. This was to be a chance for our fellow endodontists from all over the world to share common interests, their areas of concern and their future plans moving forward. It is still my desire to see this occur at our next annual session because I believe we all benefit from the sharing of mutual experiences.

KeithKrell1000

2019-2020 Year in Review

Watch this video recapping the highlights of the past year.

What's New This Year

Worth Saving Campaign Logo

Worth Saving Update

In January 2019, our Worth Saving campaign launched. With it, came this interesting data “worth sharing”:

  • The top reasons people value saving their natural teeth are because “it’s healthier” and “it gives you a better appearance.”
  • Sixty-one percent of women feel strongly that saving their natural teeth helps them feel better about themselves compared to 51 percent of men.
  • Twenty-four percent of millennials ranked teeth as the No. 1 thing they would save or maintain about their body compared to baby boomers’ preference for saving their eyesight (37 percent).
  • More than 95 percent of people say it’s important to save your natural teeth.
%

In another survey of the public, 48 percent of respondents would make an appointment to see their dentist if they experienced tooth pain.

%

Roughly half of respondents said if they were to feel tooth pain, they would only wait between two and six days to seek treatment.

%

Another 23 percent said they would seek treatment that same day.

Clearly, most people wish to resolve tooth pain very quickly, and that’s exactly what endodontists are trained to do.

Campaign Activations

Since July 1, 2019, Worth Saving has released several exciting activations:

Social media
Advertising
Landmarks Worth Saving contest

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the spirit of unity, the AAE donated to all four Landmarks Contest contenders. 

Results to Date

Campaign Overview: Results

Through June 30, there have been 5,796,912 impressions on AAE’s ads across search and retargeted display ads and 43,537 clicks.

As expected based on how we are targeting the campaign, search has driven the most impressions and clicks.

Goal
clicks from search ads
Result to Date
clicks from search ads
Goal
retargeting impressions
Result to Date
retargeting impressions

Membership

Membership at a Glance

MembershipAtAGlance_Sept2020

Events Recap

residents learn and network

APICES 2019 was attended by 310 residents representing more than 50 programs from across the U.S. and Canada! We welcomed six inspiring speakers, 27 engaging exhibitors, and eight generous sponsors.

department chairs gather

On Aug. 9-10, 2019, the AAE held its annual Educator Workshop. Led by Dr. Nava Fathi, chair, AAE Educational Affairs Committee, the Educator Workshop brought together over 40 department chairs from programs across the United States and Canada to provide valuable education and guidance.

MEMBERS GATHER TO DISCOVER NEW TECHNOLOGIES

On Nov. 14-16, 2019, Insight Track: New Technologies in Endodontics was held in Austin, Texas. Fascinating innovations and improved techniques designed to enhance patient comfort while delivering precise, predictable results were explored in an enjoyable setting.

MoeinSadrkhani
DeptChairs
ITAustin

AAE20 in a New Reality

AAE Holds First Virtual Annual Meeting in Light of COVID-19

By the time Annual Meeting season rolled around, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. We knew canceling the live AAE20 in Nashville was the right thing to do. And we swiftly built a virtual meeting based around the education that would have taken place live.

Available recordings from the AAE20 Virtual Conference can be viewed with a subscription to Endo On Demand. Learn more about the AAE's online learning platform and explore 600+ hours of content at your convenience at endoondemand.aae.org!

Read more.

AAE20_VirtualConference

Pivot to COVID-19

COVID-full-scaled

Important Messages

 

The era of COVID-19 presented a need for the AAE to pivot its communications and PR focus to the new reality and the road ahead. We worked swiftly to develop a dedicated webpage offering members the latest information – from research, to toolkits to important advocacy efforts and member resources. The page continues to be updated almost daily.

In addition, the AAE was swift to pre-publish important articles about COVID-19 and endodontic care from the Journal of Endodontics, including "Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19): Implications for Clinical Dental Care" and "Characteristics of Endodontic Emergencies during COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan".

Along with the COVID-19 webpage, we developed a weekly Briefing email offering the latest COVID-19 related information, sent directly to members’ inboxes. Early in the pandemic, Dr. Krell recorded a video message.

Webinar Series

Between the onset of the pandemic and the end of the 2019-2020 membership year (June 30, 2020), the AAE was able to produce several important open-access webinars around COVID-19.

The webinars yielded:

3,535 Total Registrations
3,201 Total Views

Respiratory Protection During Dental Care
(June 29, 2020) Presented by Eve Cuny, M.S., and Kathy Eklund, R.D.H., M.H.P.

Tapping Into Teledentistry
(May 18, 2020) Presented by Dr. Nathan Suter

What Will Recovery Look Like for Endodontic Practices?
(May 4, 2020) Presented by Dr. Roger Levin

An Update on Endodontic Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic
(April 13, 2020) Presented by Dr. Ken Hargreaves with infection specialists Jason Bowling, M.D. and Eve Cuny, M.S.
Download Presentation Slides

COVID-19 Media Moments

As swiftly as we set out to pivot to COVID-19, we found media coverage. Dr. Krell participated in interviews, with messaging largely centered around the importance of seeing an endodontist in the event of an emergency -- and the fact that most endodontist offices remained open for emergencies even during the height of the pandemic and ensuing lockdown periods.

Focus on Systemic Health

Endodontists dedicate their lives to saving natural teeth. Keep your teeth for life.

Like precious few things in this world, we know teeth were designed to last for a lifetime. Nothing looks, feels or functions like your natural tooth, so we should always strive to keep them whenever possible.

This past year, we strove to focus more on the positive relationship between good oral care and overall health. Our efforts resulted in the creation of a patient-geared video and infographic. Be sure to share them with your patients.

Advocacy Update

The past few months have been unlike any other. The AAE is here for you and tirelessly working on members’ and their patients’ behalf.

The Association encourages and promotes grass roots action on its online Advocacy Action Center, and AAE leadership continues to work with the ADA and the Organized Dentistry Coalition (ODC) on letters to legislators and federal agencies advocating for the interests of endodontists. Recently, these letters include:

AAE President Dr. Alan H. Gluskin also contacted FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor to urge FEMA to prioritize endodontists for allocation of N95 respirators, as well as for surgical masks and full-face shields.

To support continued access to foreign-trained endodontists as part of the endodontic workforce, the AAE also sent a letter to members of Congress.

To learn more about the AAE’s advocacy efforts or to take grass roots action to support federal or state policies, please visit the its online Advocacy Action Center.

Advocacy: Digital Outreach

MILLION VISITORS

1.5 million people visited all AAE websites in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The average visitor visited 1.6 pages and spent about a minute on the site.

The Patient site had almost 1.1 million visitors alone!

The Find an Endo search had more than 48,000 visitors.

Screen Shot 2019-08-02 at 5.17.55 PM

What is a Root Canal is our top performing page with:

  • Close to 301,000 unique visitors to this page
  • Consistently in the top position in Google for the searches “What is a root canal” and “root canal”
%
Visitors from the USA

While most of our site visitors are from the United States (60%), our site supports people looking for information from around the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and more.

Other Stats Worth Knowing:
  • Google generates almost 63% of the site traffic
  • 54% of our site visitors are aged 25 to 44 with an even gender breakdown
  • 63% of the traffic to the patient site is on a mobile device

Advocacy: Save Your Tooth Month

SYTMsmiling

Save Your Tooth Month 2020

We invited you to partake in a celebration of Save Your Tooth Month all May long, and your response blew us away. Your participation has always amazed us – your creations, your celebrations, but this year the volume of virtual participation was at an all-time high. All you have to do to gauge it is check the #sytm2020  and #thankanendo hashtags on Facebook and Instagram to get a sense of all the spirit.

Some of you also went the extra mile and shared your stories with us. We're in turn sharing a few of our favorites below.

In spite of these uncertain times, you made May 2020 a month WORTH REMEMBERING, and for that we thank you so much.

EndoVision_998493.JPG
MemberSYTM2
Tadros Tadros
MemberSYTM3
MemberSYTM1

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

KrellKeith438

Keith V. Krell
D.D.S., M.S., M.A.

President

Dr. Alan H. Gluskin

Alan H. Gluskin, D.D.S.

President-Elect

Law, Alan PHOTO2

Alan S. Law, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Vice President

Hirschberg, Craig PHOTO500

Craig S. Hirschberg, D.D.S.

Secretary

DietzGeraldJr

Gerald C. Dietz, Jr., D.D.S.

Treasurer

Taylor_Patrick

Patrick E. Taylor, D.D.S.

Immediate Past President

Widelka_Ken

Kenneth J. Widelka, FACHE, CAE, CPA

Executive Director

HargreavesKen

Ken M. Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Editor, Journal of Endodontics

Pettiette_MaryNEW

Mary T. Pettiette, D.D.S.

President, Foundation for Endodontics

District Directors

BehniaAli

District I

Ali Behnia, D.M.D., M.S.

CheronRobert

District I

Robert A. Cheron, D.M.D.

ChaBruce

District II

Bruce Y. Cha, D.M.D.

Falcon, Paul PHOTO 500

District II

Paul A. Falcon, D.M.D.

RubinRichard

District II

Richard L. Rubin, D.D.S., M.S.

RousseauWilliam

District III

William H. Rousseau, D.M.D.

HarrisBradley

District III

Bradley, M. Harris, D.D.S.

Mintz, Michael PHOTO 500

District IV

Michael J. Mintz, D.D.S.

Steven J. Katz Photo_AAE18

District IV

Steven J. Katz, D.D.S., M.S.

Kirk Coury Approved Photo 500

District V

Kirk A. Coury, D.D.S., M.S.

Gettleman, Bradley_PHOTO 500

District V

Bradley H. Gettleman, D.D.S., M.S.

Kenny mug shot (1) 500

District VI

Kenneth B. Wiltbank, D.M.D.

PetrinoJoseph

District VI

Joseph A. Petrino, D.D.S., M.S.

Pierre

District VII

Daniel J. Pierre, D.D.S.

NishanOdabashian500

District VII

Nishan M. Odabashian, D.M.D., M.S.

Committee Members

Scott L. Doyle
W. Craig Noblett
Alan S. Law
Antonio Berto
Keith V. Krell
Patrick E. Taylor
Gerald C. Dietz, Jr.
Richard L. Rubin
Joseph A. Petrino
Bradley M. Harris
Alan H. Gluskin
Craig S. Hirschberg
Bradley G. Seto
Valerie M. Kanter
Mbachan C. Okwen
Erik J. Foisy
Jeffrey S. Albert
Carolina Cucco
Timothy C. Kirkpatrick
Anita Aminoshariae
Daniel Bartling
Callee Clark
Frederic Barnett
Renato Silva
Kathleen McNally
Adham A. Azim
Sonia Chopra
Kevin Kuo
Jae Shin
Daniel J. Pierre
Helen Meyer
Eshwar Arasu
Alex C. Moore
Zahabiyah Tsiamwala
Lauren E. Jensen
Martin Levin

Kimberly A.D. Lindquist
Marc P. Gimbel
Diane Griffiths
Jack Burlison
William D. Powell
Jordan Reiss
Joao V. Barbizam
Rico D. Short
Kenneth M. Hargreaves
Anibal R. Diogenes
Ashraf F. Fouad
Robert S. Roda
Linda G. Levin
Amir Azarpazhooh
Gerald N. Glickman
Anil Kishen
Mo K. Kang
Christine M. Sedgley
Franklin R. Tay
Nava Fathi
Langston D. Smith
Josanne M. O’Dell
Eugene Salazar
Kenneth J. Frick
Isabel Mello
Laurie R. Fleisher
Roberta Pileggi
Dustin F. Weitz
Steven J. Katz
John D. Regan
Moein Sadrkhani
Bradley H. Gettleman
Mary T. Pettiette
John M. Nusstein
Nikita B. Ruparel
Terryl A. Propper

Glenn L. Paulk
Kenneth J. Zucker
David Funderburk
Robert A. Cheron
Carla Falcon
Rebeca Weisleder Urow
Mark A. Schachman
Dustin S. Reynolds
Hossein Shayei Moosavi
Chase G. Thompson
Matt Kotapish
William H. Rousseau
Garry L. Myers
Stefan I. Zweig
Derrick I. Wang
Tung B. Bui
Simon M. Ghattas
Kirk A. Coury
Tevyah J. Dines
Jason F. Foreman
Kenneth B. Wiltbank
Jyotika Tucker
Saman Deljoui
Joel L. Dunsky
Beth A. Damas
Rodney V. Scott
Dentonio E. Worrell
Maria C. Maranga
Sandra Madison
Gary Hartwell
Tory Silvestrin
Padhraig Fleming
Elizabeth Perry
Sonja R. Evans
Ali Behnia
Mark B. Desrosiers

Marcus D. Johnson
Jaclyn F. Rivera
Derek T. Peek
Avina K. Paranjpe
Ryan G. Brandt
Brittany Gillard Kawas
Tatiana M. Botero-Duque
Vanessa Chrepa
Lilley N. Gharavi
Jennifer L. Gibbs
Alexandria L. Butler
Michael J. Mintz
Ariadne M. Letra
Bruno N. Cavalcanti
Meetu R. Kohli
Rene Chu
Asma A. Khan
Frank C. Setzer
Nikita B. Ruparel
Susan B. Paurazas
Fabricio B. Teixeira
Sameer Dilip Jain
Akshita Mann
Paul A. Falcon
Sami Chogle
Scott B. McClanahan
Joseph T. Crepps

Statement of Financial Position

2019-2020AAEStatementofFinancialPosition_v1

Foundation for Endodontics

President’s Message

Research, Education, Outreach and Development

Dear Colleagues,

Let me begin by sharing the distinct honor it has been to serve the Foundation for Endodontics as president for two years. During this time, I have seen the direct and vast impact the Foundation’s mission-driven initiatives have on endodontics, its clinicians and our patients. The Foundation’s strategic plan is more than a set of lofty goals, but rather, it has served as our roadmap for enhancements, improvements and successful execution in the areas of research, education and outreach.

To directly reflect the Foundation’s impact in these focus areas, over the past year, I would like to share some of our achievements and milestones, as well as a few impact statements from those directly affected.

LeadershipListing_photooption600

Research

After finalizing the first-ever Research Fellowship program during spring 2019, sponsored by Dentsply Sirona, the Foundation launched and marketed the application process, conducted candidate interviews and selected Dr. Annie Shrestha, assistant professor University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, as the first recipient. The funding will support Dr. Shrestha’s research efforts with the goal of securing extramural funding from a federal or private granting agency for her project, Immune Dysbiosis in Diabetes and Apical Periodontitis- Role of Cell Microenvironment. The Foundation recognizes the need to recruit and cultivate the next generation of endodontic clinician-scientists, and we are proud to support Dr. Shrestha’s work.

Education

Dr. Lorel Burns was named the 2019 Endodontic Educator Fellow. Dr. Burns is an instructor in the Department of Endodontics at New York University. Since the inception of the fellowship in 2001, 22 of the 24 fellows are still teaching and performing research in dental schools. In late 2019, the Foundation was notified it would be honored with the 2020 ADEA Gies Foundation William J. Gies Achievement Award for its efforts to fund 19 years of Endodontic Educator Fellowship Awards!

“As a fellow, I think the Foundation’s work has really strengthened dental education. As educators, we lay the foundation of endodontics for future specialists and dental students and instill a basic of biological principles and respect for the specialty in our students. The support and longevity show a true commitment that is inspirational and visionary.”- Dr. Burns

Outreach

Nearly 100 root canals were performed by volunteers over the course of three one-week trips to a clinic providing dental care to the underserved in. Since 2016, the Foundation has partnered with the Henry Schein Cares Foundation and the Christian Dental Society to provide access to deserving patients and hands-on experiences for willing volunteers. These experiences provide more than meets the eye:

  • This program allows volunteers to work side-by-side with pre-doctoral students and general dentists from the U.S. to educate them about the value of seeking and referring to a specialist;
  • The week-long residency in Jamaica serves as an extension of post-graduate education, providing access to a variety of difficult and complex cases, as well as fellowship among various programs.
  • The program serves as a method to create public awareness of the specialty among interested donors, patients and in a variety of communities.

As we look back on our successes, I would be remiss if I did not recognize that our world has changed dramatically in recent months. But your Foundation is committed to providing unwavering support to those that make up our endodontic community. During late spring 2020, the Foundation pivoted its efforts to announce a token of support for the specialty’s newest practitioners. A one-time $500 grant was made available to residents graduating in 2020, for personal expenses to help offset the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For the past two years, I have dedicated myself to residency, using almost all of my time on my studies and working as a tutor in my community just a few hours per month. COVID-19 has eliminated my ability to tutor and make my small income. My appreciation knows no bounds.”-grant recipient

Amidst change, one thing is evident to me, the spirit of philanthropy and collegiality is alive and well, and I feel proud to be a part of it. While my time as Foundation president comes to a close, I am proud of this community, grateful for my experiences and honored to call you my colleagues.

A special thank you to all donors and future donors, your support makes this impactful work possible.

With appreciation,

 

 

Mary T. Pettiette, D.D.S.
President

We are extremely honored to have won the 2020 ADEA Geis Award! Check out this special award video:

Other Programs

Today's Investments…Generating Ongoing Benefits…Fueling the Future of Endodontics

Supporting and developing endodontics in pursuit of excellence in the field of dentistry.

 

In 2019, over $1 million of funding was invested in a variety of mission-driven programs that are:

  • Propelling the specialty forward
  • Leaving a lasting impact
  • Elevating the standard of patient care

Research

A variety of funding opportunities are available specific to research, which fuels the specialty and gives both established and developing endodontists tools to achieve excellence in patient care, saving natural teeth whenever possible. In 2019 alone, the Foundation budgeted over $600,000 specifically dedicated to research. The Endodontic Research Fellowship Award was one of the Foundation’s new opportunities in this area.

The fellowship supports research and career development in basic science, translational science, clinical research or behavioral science with relevance to clinical problems in endodontics. The purpose is to develop a pipeline for junior faculty in endodontics who will become impactful, independent investigators that are advancing science in the field of endodontics.

Dentsply Sirona generously donated the funding to support the 2019 fellow. The Foundation proudly named Dr. Annie Shrestha, B.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., FRCD(C), assistant professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, the 2019 Dentsply Sirona Research Fellow. 

Education

During 2019, the Foundation provided over $400,000 to directly support  endodontic educators, the key to ensuring the future of the next generation. A few of the most popular and widely offered opportunities are:

  • Full-Time Educator Development Grant
    • To ensure educators are getting professional development opportunities that meet their individual needs.
  • 10-Year Anniversary Grant
    • In recognition of educators who have dedicated their careers to teaching endodontics full-time.
  • ADEA/AAE Foundation Scholar for the ADEA Leadership Institute
    • Sponsorship of an endodontic educator's participation in ADEA's Leadership Institute to help develop them for future academic leadership.

Working to Provide Access to Care Near and Far

Four times annually, the Foundation sends a team of volunteers to a dental clinic Treasure Beach, Jamaica. The teams work to elevate the standard of care for a deserving patient population bringing them specialty treatment where it has never been performed. Eager to provide charitable endodontic care domestically, the Foundation is working diligently to develop an opportunity that will actively increasing awareness and share the value of endodontics in cooperation with local charity partners across the country.

  • Advocating for the specialty
  • Providing mentorship
  • Hands-on volunteer opportunities for AAE members

Help the Foundation reach its annual fundraising goal and support the future of the specialty.

Foundation Financials

Research Grants and Awards

Board of Trustees

2018-2019 Foundation Board of Trustees

Executive Committee

Pettiette_MaryNEW

Mary T. Pettiette, D.D.S.

President

Nusstein_John

John M. Nusstein, D.D.S., M.S.

President-Elect

Coury_Kirk

Kirk A. Coury, D.D.S., M.S.

Treasurer

Fathi_Nava

Nava Fathi, D.D.S.

Secretary

Widelka_Ken

Ken J. Widelka, FACHE, CAE, CPA

Executive Director

Trustees

DahlkemperPatrick499

Patrick E. Dahlkemper, D.M.D.

Hirschberg_Craig

Craig S. Hirschberg, D.D.S.

MarangaMaria555

Maria Maranga, D.D.S.

Marchesan_Melissa

Melissa Marchesan, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.

<strong>Scott B. McClanahan, D.D.S., M.S.
</strong><br /><span style="font-size: 12px;">President, American Board of Endodontics</span>

Scott B. McClanahan, D.D.S., M.S.

OdomMark500

Mark A. Odom, D.D.S.

SeungJuheon584

Juheon Seung, D.D.S., M.S.

Ullman_Cheryl

Cheryl L. Ullman, D.M.D.

Ferone_John

John Ferone

FehrsScott500

Scott Fehrs

Laramore_Mark

Mark Laramore

AAE Officers Serving as Trustees

KrellKeith

Krell, D.D.S., M.S., M.A.

AAE President

Taylor_Patrick

Patrick E. Taylor, D.D.S.

AAE Immediate Past President

Dr. Alan H. Gluskin

Alan H. Gluskin, D.D.S.

AAE President- Elect

Law, Alan PHOTO2

Alan Law, D.D.S., Ph.D.
AAE Vice President

Resident Expert Advisory Council (REACH)

REACH is an opportunity for residents to learn about organized dentistry and to develop their potential to become future leaders. The committee is composed of 10 residents. An effort is made to select participants from each AAE district and individuals who represent a broad cross-section of the resident community. Members serve for two years.

Kelly Barbera, D.M.D., Tufts University
Alexandria Butler, D.M.D., Harvard University
Lindsey Chang, D.M.D., Texas A&M University
Rachel Kalman, D.M.D., University of Connecticut
Carolyn Kilbride, D.D.S., University of Connecticut
Steven Kim, D.M.D., Columbia University
Lauren Kuhn, D.M.D., M.S.D., Medical University of South Carolina
Gordon Lai, D.D.S., University of the Pacific
Yagnik Patel, D.D.S., University of Illinois at Chicago
Kortnie Strother, D.D.S., University of Texas at Houston

ABE: American Board of Endodontics

President’s Message

Commitment, Dedication and Determination

Asgeir Sigurdsson, D.D.S., M.S.
ABE President
Asgeir Sigurdsson, D.D.S., M.S. ABE President
celebrate-icon

Congratulations to our 104 new Diplomates!

Everyone that has gone through the ABE Board-Certification process knows what it takes to be successful in that endeavor. Days, weeks, and months are spent studying, practicing and gathering information for the Oral Exam and preparing your Cases History Portfolio.  Once completed, it’s a milestone that, at least for me, is very hard to describe: you just know that you have done something that is quite remarkable.

Since AAE 2019 in Montreal, the ABE hosted 223 candidates for the Written Examination, ABE Directors and past Directors reviewed 122 Case Portfolios and gave Oral Examination to 233 Candidates.  In March 2020, Directors braved traveling and gathering together in the age of the coronavirus and examined 52 Candidates.  Even though we did not have the same record number of 150 Diplomates in 2018, however we are so proud of each of our 104 new Diplomates in 2019. Congratulations to each of our amazing new Diplomates!

It is important, especially this year as we are coming up for a re-approval of the specialty of endodontics, to acknowledge what each new Diplomate did, in part for our specialty, because as is stated in the ADA’s Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties, that each dental specialty needs a significant number of additional dentists in order to warrant its continuing approval by the American Dental Association.

Even though we have made good strides in increasing the number of Diplomates amongst AAE’s membership, we still only have approximately 35% of all members that have achieved Diplomate status.  This is actually the lowest percentage of all dental specialties and should be of a great concern to all – remember the requirements stated above.

The ABE Board constantly strives to improve the process of Board Certification. Over the past decade, the ABE has implemented several changes that have helped increase the overall number of Board-Certified endodontists without compromising the integrity of our exams. After careful statistical analysis of several cycles of the Case Portfolio submissions, it was determined that reducing portfolio requirements from a 10-case to a five-case exam would not compromise the validity and discriminatory capability of the exam. The cases remain the greatest, and in most instances, the final hurdle to Board certification.  Of the total number of Board eligible Candidates currently on the path toward certification, roughly 55% of those Candidates have passed both the Oral and the Written Exams but have yet to challenge the Case History Exam.

It is our sincere hope that the abbreviated portfolio will encourage those AAE members that are not Diplomates, as well as the current Candidates that have only the Case Portfolio left in the process, to submit their cases and thereby move to complete their quest for Diplomate status.

It has been my absolute privilege to serve with my fellow Directors on the ABE for the last six years. Every single member of the Board does serves with profound understanding of the need for excellence and their dedication is unmatched. There is though, another group that I would like to recognize as well, our past Directors. With the significant increase in number of Candidates we have relied upon a number of them to give the Oral Exams, as well as evaluate the Case Portfolios. Their work is done in the shadows and they do not get the same recognition as current Board members.  Thank you all for your continued support. Your help has allowed us to reach the number of 150 Diplomates in 2018 and 104 in 2019.  We applaud your support of the ABE, thank you!!

Of note is that the Oral Exam was held in St. Louis on March 12 and 13, 2020 as scheduled, despite the looming pandemic.  A total of 52 candidates challenged the exam and I want to use this opportunity to specially thank the 18 past and current directors that came to St. Louis during these very difficult times – this is more than anyone can expect from volunteers. Thank you!!

In the end I want to thank the staff of the ABE for outstanding dedication to their job and the mission of the ABE.  It has been especially trying in the last months but without hesitation they have performed way beyond their job description – thank you Margie, Ivana and Patricia.  AND special shout out to Margie and Ivana for joining us in St. Louis after a very trying few weeks of organizing, re-organizing and then re-re-organizing the Oral Exam schedule as so many of both candidates and examiners had to cancel or change their plans.  Thank you!

Asgeir Sigurdsson, D.D.S., M.S.
President, American Board of Endodontics

ABE Leadership

Executive Committee

Sigurdsson_Asgeir

Asgeir Sigurdsson,
D.D.S., M.S.
Vice President

Kirkpatrick_Timothy2

Timothy C. Kirkpatrick,
D.D.S.
Vice President

Bergeron_Brian

Brian Bergeron,
D.M.D.
Secretary

DrumMelissa2

Melissa Drum
D.D.S., M.S.
Treasurer

Directors

Johnson_Bradford

Bradford Johnson
D.D.S.

McDonald_James Neville

Neville McDonald
B.D.S., M.S.

Mork-Thomas

Thomas Mork
D.D.S.

AvinaParanjpecropped4

Avina Paranjpe
B.D.S., M.S., M.S.D., Ph.D.

SABEY -- PHOTO500

Kent Sabey
D.D.S.

Spatafore_Clara

Clara Spatafore
D.D.S., M.S

Teixeira_Fabricio

Fabricio Teixeira
D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.

Williamson_Anne

Anne E. Williamson
D.D.S., M.S.

Counselor

NoblettCraig2

W. Craig Noblett
D.D.S., M.S.

New Diplomates

Ayman M. Abulhamael
Joseph B. Adams
Elinor Alon
Riyadh Musaad Alroomy
Ana Cristina C. Andrada
Eshwar Arasu
Saleh A. Ashkanani
Jeffrey C. Bell
Lauren E. Belous
Yehuda J. Benjamin
Homayon Berenji
Brooke Berson
Poppy Blaseio
Christopher D. Bradley
Kari L. Brodsky
Samah A. Bukhari
Brian J. Buurma
Aileen R. Cabanada-Logan
Stephanie Chen
Brian Cheung
Thomas G. Cooper
Eric Cottle
Steven P. Delgado
Sundeep Dhawan
Craig A. Dunlap
Philippe Duquette-Allard
Michael G. Elasaad
Dov A. Elman
Monica Rancourt Estes

Ehsan Farrokhmanesh
Usman S. Fazli
Hope L. Feldman
Yanina A. Figueroa
Jeffrey H. Gardyn
Christin Michelle Giacomino
Jennifer L. Gibbs
Zachary Goettsche
Gerry B. Green
John H. Greiner
Mona Haghani
Michael Stephen Harrison
Garth W. Hatch
Cody D. Heslington
Brett W. Hill
Scott T. Hill
Michael D. Hosking
Kelley A. Hursh
George D. Hwang
Robert J. Jensen
Ji Wook Jeong
Scott C. Johnson
Margaret A. Jones
Ben C. Jorgensen
Luz Marina D. Jutras
David A. Kellogg
Noor F. Khouqeer
Nam K. Kim
Brian S. Kleinman
Moon-Hee Ko

Naghmeh Latifi
Yoon Haeng Lee
Paul P. Lundine
Henry Ma
Jesus M. Machado
James S. Morris
Amanda Y. Ngan
Julia C. Nguyen
Francisco J. Nieves
Kian Nikdel
Patricia N. Paparcuri
Tyler Peterson
Valeria Pizzini
Ramya Ramamurthy
Cameron B. Ritter
Chafic Safi
Eugene Salazar
Ahmed B. Salman
Alexander J. Sanchez
Elenaz Sarshar
Matteo Sferlazzo
Tammam Sheabar
Julie Strong
Jenny Y. Sun
Tadros M. Tadros
Tanjit Taggar
Elizabeth A. Takamori
Ryan R. Teahen
Steven J. Todd
Charles A. Ullman

Kurtis L. Wadsworth
Philip J. Wadsworth
Chad M. Waltz
Tom H. Wei
Jacob N. Weigle
Constance J. Wentworth
David J. Weyh
Christopher A. Widmer
Danielle P. Wingrove
Pierre Wohlgemuth
Stephanie Wu
Peter M. Yamamura
Ya-Hsin Yu
Shatha S. Zahran
Zegar Zegar