Dental Class of 2022 celebrated at DDS Senior Awards

Students from the Dental Class of 2022 were recognized at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry’s annual DDS Senior Awards. The ceremony was held April 29 in the Denton A. Cooley, MD, and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS, University Life Center.

In total, 56 awards were bestowed upon members of the soon-to-be graduating class. The event’s program can be found online.

Award recipients are as follows:

• American College of Prosthodontists Award: Bryce O’Donnell
• Academy of Dental Materials Award: Dane Risinger
• Academy of Dentistry International Student Servant Leadership Award: Elvira Nworah
• Academy of General Dentistry Senior Student Dental Award: Mina Elahidoust
• Academy of Laser Dentistry Senior Student Achievement Award: Taylor Ma
• Academy of Operative Dentistry Award: Kristie Tran
• Academy of Osseointegration Outstanding Dental Student in Implant Dentistry Award: Claudia Pruneda
• American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Undergraduate Clinical Case HEAPS Award: Homais Qadri
• American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry Student Award of Merit: Amira Haidar
• American Academy of Implant Dentistry Undergraduate Dental Student Award: Daniel Mendoza
• American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Dental Student Award: Michael Andrews
• American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Achievement Award: Michael Andrews
• American Academy of Oral Medicine Certificate of Merit and Award in Oral Medicine: Kimberly Heaton
• American Academy of Orofacial Pain Outstanding Senior Award: Kalin Bhavan
• American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Predoctoral Student Award: Paulina Ho
• American Academy of Periodontology Dental Student Award: Homais Qadri
• American Association of Endodontists Predoctoral Student Achievement Award: Rebecca Trevino
• American Association of Orthodontists Award: Dane Risinger and Dooyeol Kim
• American Association of Public Health Dentistry Community Dentistry and Dental Public Health Award: Andrea Pajarillo
• American Association of Women Dentists Eleanor J. Bushee Award: Rebecca Trevino
• American College of Dentists Outstanding Student Leader Award: Chance Hunsaker
• American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Horace Wells Senior Student Award: Sam Michael Anton
• American Equilibration Society Award: Kalin Bhavan
• American Student Dental Association Award of Excellence: Mary Jocelyn Nisnisan
• Jeanne Craig Sinkford Student Leadership Award: Joceylin Duarte
• Edward C. Hinds Academy Award: Raymond Lu
• Greater Houston Dental Society Community Dentistry Award: John Russell
• Hanau Best of the Best Award for Excellence in Prosthodontics: Selma Mahmoud
• Houston Academy of General Dentistry Senior Student Dental Award: Kirouls Gowid
• Houston Chapter of the American Association for Dental Research Award: Dane Risinger
• Houston Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Oral Surgery Honors Elective Student Award: Michael Andrews
• International College of Dentists Student Humanitarian Award: Chandler Pruitt
• International College of Dentists Student Leadership Award: Mary Jocelyn Nisnisan
• International Congress of Oral Implantologists Pre-Doctoral Student Achievement Award: Patricia Nunez
• Ivoclar Vivadent Digital Dentistry Student of the Year Award: Chance Hunsaker
• James P. Ferguson Award for Excellence in Dental Anatomy: Noah Falls
• Ninth District Dental Society Professional Collegiality Award: Blake Hutzler, Sarah Ohn, Clayton Nguyen, Jay Colucci, and Victoria McGuffin
• Ninth District Dental Society Senior Award for Leadership: Chance Hunsaker
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society Award: Michael Andrews, Dane Risinger, Dooyeol Kim, Kimberly Heaton, Melissa Wong, Noah Falls, Lucia Karam, Jillian Huffman, Julianna Masabni, Selma Mahmoud, Nicholas Ward, Ann Marie Seelbach, and Chandler Pruitt
• Pierre Fauchard Academy Student Certificate of Merit and Award for Outstanding Academic Achievements: Simone Menezes
• Quintessence Award for Clinical Achievement in Periodontics: Ann Marie Seelbach
• Quintessence Award for Clinical Achievement in Restorative Dentistry: Rachel Finelli
• Quintessence Award for Research Achievement: Elvira Nworah
• Robert O. Dosch and James L. Rout Award: Michael Andrews
• Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry Student Award of Merit: Amber Stephens
• Society for Simulation in Healthcare Student Award: Julianna Masabni
• Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry Student Award: Jordan Smith
• Special Care Dentistry Association/Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities Student Award in Recognition: Ann Marie Seelbach
• Texas Association of Women Dentists Outstanding Female Dental Student Award: Stacey Diep
• Texas Dental Association Outstanding Senior Dental Student Award: Dylan Drgac
• The Brian D. Stone Memorial Outstanding Student Award from Dental Lifeline Network: Che-Yu Hsu
• UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry Informatics Award: Andrea Pajarillo
• UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry Student Award in Applied Basic Science Award: Simone Menezes
• UTSD Alumni Association Senior Student Award: Chance Hunsaker
• Kenneth Horwitz, D.D.S., Ethics and Professionalism Award: Joceylin Duarte and Adam Safari
• Walter G. Sterling Outstanding Student Award: Michael Andrews