Examples of excellence in clinical cases, research and community service at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry were on full display during the OKU-Sutro Excellence Day celebration held May 3, 2023 on the San Francisco Campus.

Held annually, this longstanding tradition offers the school community the opportunity to publicly share their projects with colleagues, faculty, staff, alumni and special guests. Although there is a competitive component, Excellence Day is primarily a collaborative celebration of the multi-dimensional interests and talents of students, residents and colleagues.

Dr. Karen Schulze, associate professor, director of clinical research and chair of the OKU-Sutro Excellence Day Committee, opened the event with a greeting to attendees, followed by welcome remarks from Dean Nader Nadershahi.

“Excellence Day is a very special event,” said Dr. Schulze. “Not only does it give students the opportunity to show off their work, but it also allows them to encourage and inspire one another to deliver the best possible outcomes for their patients. Watching our students grow into skilled and compassionate dentists and health care professionals is incredibly rewarding.”

Keynote guest speaker Dr. Douglas Terry presented “Treating Esthetic Challenges using the Adhesive Design Concept.” Dr. Terry is an adjunct professor in the department of restorative sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Professor Emeritus in the department of conservative dentistry and endodontics at the V.S. Dental College and Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India. He is also the founder and CEO of the Institute of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry and a member of Oral Design International.

Activities then spanned the clinical and lobby areas on the second floor where students and residents set up displays and posters. Faculty judges reviewed the more than 80 projects on display and discussed them with the presenting students and residents. Clinical cases included implant dentistry, removable prosthodontics, restorative, orthodontics, community health, research, dental hygiene and more. In addition to presentations from dental students and residents, the event included presentations from students in the Audiology program in Pacific’s School of Health Sciences. 

Students also discussed the results of their Personalized Instruction Program (PIP) projects completed with guidance from their faculty advisors.

For clinical cases, numerous patients were on hand to describe their experiences in the clinics and to showcase the work of the dental students and residents who treated them.

“The Excellence Day event was such a wonderful experience to see the outstanding work students are doing at the Dugoni School,” said Philip Stahl, DDS ’23. “Seeing amazing work from clinical cases to community service projects to groundbreaking research just made me proud to be a student here! Excellence Day was seamlessly organized, and this allowed for the students' work to shine through. One of the best events I’ve experienced!” 

Awards will be presented to students during an upcoming Brown Bag meeting with Dean Nadershahi and at the Alumni/Graduate Banquet during Commencement Weekend.

“The definition of excellence – the quality of being outstanding or extremely good describes the faculty and students of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry,” said Dr. Douglas Terry. “I know Dr. Dugoni would be very proud of their accomplishments in improving the practice of dentistry."

OKU-Sutro Excellence Day activities are sponsored by the school’s Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) chapter, Henry A. Sutro Award Endowment and the Dugoni School Annual Fund. 

Omicron Kappa Upsilon is a national dental honor society founded in 1914 at Northwestern University. The Dugoni School chartered its Delta Delta Chapter in 1934 to encourage scholarship and advance ethical standards of the dental profession. Membership is limited to 12% of the graduating class on the basis of scholarship, character and leadership.

The OKU-Sutro Excellence Day Planning Committee thanks the following sponsors who provided generous support for the event: 3M, Bien-Air Dental, California Dental Arts, California Dental Association, Kerr, Patterson Dental, Ultradent and Vakker.

View a photo gallery of event pictures here.