Employee milestones recognized at STAR Awards

The School of Dentistry and UTHealth Houston celebrated the dedication of employees who’ve reached milestones in their years of service at the university during the annual STAR Awards, held Feb. 25-26 at the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center.

UTHealth Houston extends a hand of gratitude to all the employees celebrating milestones of service. It’s the commitment and expertise of the employees that allows further advancements in the university’s key mission areas of education, research, and health care.

“All of you are what has built UTHealth Houston into the institution that it is today,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of academic and faculty affairs. “It’s really inspiring to see those of you who are celebrating these decades upon decades of steadfast service. You all make tremendous contributions to the university.”

The STAR Awards reception and luncheon celebrates employees reaching five-year milestones in their careers at UTHealth Houston. Whether it was employees commemorating five years or thirty years, many School of Dentistry recipients were recognized for all their hard work.

Amongst the honorees was Thomas Servos, DDS, who serves as chief clinical officer of the UT Dentists’ clinical practice. He has also served as the director of patient assessment, vice-chair of the former Department of Diagnostic Sciences, and interim head of radiology. He celebrated 30 years of service to the dental school.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for 30 years of dedication and hard work,” Servos said. “This milestone represents more than just me — it reflects the relationships, challenges, and successes shared along the way. I’m deeply grateful to the leadership of the School of Dentistry for the opportunities they have afforded me to grow both personally and professionally, and I look forward to continuing this journey with the same passion and dedication that brought me here.”

Celebrating 10 years at the school, Taressa Visor, director of the PACE Center, says enhancing the industry through quality professional development and networking opportunities has fulfilled her service at the School of Dentistry.

“Leading the PACE Center has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my time here,” she said. “Seeing the positive impact we make — whether by helping students navigate their careers, supporting alumni in their professional growth, or fostering collaboration within the dental community — has been truly inspiring.

“People are my passion, and their success is my greatest reward.”

In total, 58 employees from the School of Dentistry were recognized among the 1,532 STAR Award recipients.

The full list of School of Dentistry awardees are listed below:

30 years

• Sandra Dellano
  Pediatric Dentistry
• Thomas Servos, DDS
  UT Dentists

25 years

• Donald Belles, DDS, MS
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics

20 years

• Kathleen McGrory, DDS, MS
  Orthodontics
• Kimberly Magee
  Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences

15 years

• Emily Sedlock, MPH, CPPS
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Magret Lan, DDS, MS
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Paula Murphy
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Richard Halpin, MEd, EMBA. EdD
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Sridhar Veerkeralam Kuppusamy Eswaran, BDS, MS, MSD
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Traci Hayes
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Victoria Patrounova, RDH, MHA
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene           

10 Years

• Beatrice Flores
  Office of the Dean
• Chenell Bell, MBA
  Office of Patient Care
• David Jaramillo, DDS
  Endodontics
• Donna Martinez
  Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dragana Angelova, DDS
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Elizabeth Hamilton, DDS
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Kurtis, Kasper, PhD
  Orthodontics
• George Brady, DMD
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• James Melville, DDS
  Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Kathy Gibson, DDS
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Lavenia Mayes
  Orthodontics
• Marilia Sly, DDS, MSD
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• Ngozi Nwizu, BDS, MMSc, PhD
  Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Shradhdha Gordhan, DDS
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Taressa Visor
  PACE Center
• Teryka Almore, RDA
  Pediatric Dentistry
• Yonca Korkmaz Ceyhan, DDS, PhD
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics

5 Years

• Anahita Mortazavi, RDH, MEd
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Aniqua DeClouette
  Office of Student and Academic Affairs
• Anita Joy-Thomas, BDS, PhD
  Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Anjali George
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Bonita Wynkoop, RDH, DDS, TTS
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Celine Sheng, DDS
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Diana Chapa, CDA, RDA
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Elham Abbassi, DDS, D.ABDSM
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Elizabeth Herring, CDA, RDA
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Esther Kuyinu, DDS, MS
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• Jalen Davis
  PACE Center
• Jasmine Henry
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• John Smith Jr., DDS
  Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Jose Posada
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Jose Rosales-Martinez, CDT
  Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• Khairunisa Hashmani, RDH, EdD
  Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Kim Wong
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Lisa Nguyen, HTL
  Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Louise Pilares, DMD
  PACE Center
• Lubna Fawad, DDS
  Pediatric Dentistry
• Marcela Vega
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Parastou Rouhani-Terrany, DDS, MS
  Endodontics
• Priyanshi Ritwik, BDS, MS
  Pediatric Dentistry
• Rachael Wong, RN, BSN
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Richard Cruz
  Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Sesha Barefield
  General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Shaunna Campbell
  Endodontics
• Thomas Artinian, DC
  Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Vaishali Rana
  Clinical and Educational Support Services