School of Dentistry employees honored at 2023 STAR Awards

The School of Dentistry and UTHealth Houston celebrated the longevity of employees who reached years of service milestones at the university during the annual STAR Awards, held Feb. 28-29 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 dedication and expertise of the employees that allows further advancements in the university’s key mission areas of education, research, and health care.

“You are the ones who have built UTHealth Houston and shaped it into the outstanding university it is today,” Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair told the awardees. “It is inspiring to see those of you who are celebrating decades upon decades of steadfast service and tremendous contributions to the university.”

The STAR Awards reception and luncheon celebrates employees reaching five-year milestones in their careers at UTHealth Houston. From five years to more than five decades, many School of Dentistry recipients were recognized for all their hard work.

Amongst the honorees was Fred A. Garrett, DDS, MS, who has been teaching in the Department of Orthodontics at the School of Dentistry since 1968. Garrett began his tenure when the program’s founder, Albert Westfall, DDS, offered him an opportunity to join the team. Ever since then, he has taught different generations of students that have come through the department and has gone through a personal transformative experience by teaching and mentoring.

“Teaching keeps you on the cutting edge of your profession,” he said. “It’s been a joy. I never imagined orthodontics could have given me so much. As I look back on the 55 years, we have one of the premier orthodontic departments in the United States. Only the best of the best come here, and I think that keeps me going.”

Celebrating 30 years at the school, Sonya Davis says that watching students succeed is what has fulfilled her service at the Office of Student and Academic Affairs.

“I think what keeps me going is seeing the students come in and matriculate through the system, become dentists, and then drive around and see their names on these buildings,” Davis said. “I have such love for the students and the staff. I do my little part to help them.”

In total, 45 employees from the School of Dentistry were recognized among the 1,300 STAR Award recipients. For a full list of 2023 awardees, visit inside.uth.edu (credentials required).

To be honored as a STAR Awardee, an employee’s milestone work anniversary must be before Dec. 31 of the previous year. STAR Award recipients for 2023 celebrated their milestone work anniversary between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023.

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

55 years

• Fred Garrett, DDS, MS
  • Orthodontics

45 years

• Arthur Jeske, DMD, PhD
  • Office of the Dean

40 years

• Deborah Franklin, DDS, MA
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health

35 years

• Harry Gilbert, DDS
  • Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

30 years

• Sonya Davis
  • Student and Academic Affairs

25 years

• Kamal Busaidy, DDS
  • Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Alexis Couvillon
  • Student and Academic Affairs
• Harold Henson, RDH, PhD
  • Professional Development and Faculty Affairs
• Melinda Hinojosa
  • PACE Center
• Paula Semien
  • Orthodontics
• Trichinia Wesley, MHA
  • General Practice and Public Health

20 years

• Gina Bonaventura, DDS, MS
  • Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Jonathan Green
  • Clinical and Educational Support Services
• Kyle McCrea, DDS
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health

15 years

• Bhavini Acharya, BDS, MPH
  • Pediatric Dentistry
• Graciela Aguirre
  • UT Dentists
• Julianna Barros, DDS, MS
  • Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• Gisela Bona, DDS, MS
  • Pediatric Dentistry
• Auco Dang
  • Office of the Dean
• Kristine Olivier
  • Office of Technology Services and Informatics
• Shalizeh Patel, DDS, MEd
  • Office of Patient Care, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• PhanThanh Saint John
  • Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics

10 years

• Nikola Angelov, DDS, MS, PhD
  • Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Waild Fakhouri, MSc, PhD
  • Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Leticia Guajardo, DDS
  • Endodontics
• Junuchi Iwata, DDS, PhD
  • Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Ezinne Ogbureke, BDS, DMD
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Mary Perera, RDA
  • General Practice and Public Health
• Vinu Sista, DDS, FAGD
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health

5 years

• Edgar Alcala
  • Orthodontics
• Felicia Bruhn
  • Orthodontics
• Kimberly Bueno-Montemayor
  • UT Dentists
• Shaunna Campbell
  • Endodontics
• Jennifer Chang, DDS, MSD
  • Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
• Emerald Daniels
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Veronica Deluna, RDA
  • UT Dentists
• Timothy Kirkpatrick, DDS
  • Endodontics
• Marie Latortue, DDS, MS
  • General Practice and Dental Public Health
• Maria Loza, DMD, MS
  • Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
• Lauren Moran
  • Professional Development and Faculty Affairs
• Alan Myers, PharmD, PhD, RPh
  • Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Neha Parikh, PhD
  • Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences
• Helen Treon, RHIT, CPC
  • Katz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery