The grant application season has been exceedingly active. Since last Fall, I have sent out over 103 application forms on the request of the applicants. Fifty-three applications were submitted, particularly in the final days before the deadline. Thirty-five were processed to the Grants Committee; 18 were rejected. The total amount being requested for is $351,660.40 and the rejected applications were for $488,500.

Letters were written to each rejected application with the reasons for the rejection. These include successive or multi-year applications, claim for more dollars than we allow, pay for salaries, transportation, shipping, scholarships, hand-written and barely decipherable information, and most frequently, to no specific destination for the FPFA funds.

The dental scholarship program was initiated in February with a mailing containing one letter from the Academy for their Senior Scholastic Achievement Award and one letter from the Foundation for their cash grant scholarship, and a note explaining the difference. Even at that, there is a considerable amount of confusion about the two separate awards.

By May, all but 12 dental schools had responded. Another letter was sent to those 12 schools. Ten instantaneously replied with a series of weird excuses. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of California San Francisco have never responded.

Non-U.S. dental schools have progressed about as well. Language barriers, strange (to us) academic years, unusual educational procedures, and administration create confusion. One situation in Japan was that 11 scholarship checks back for years, sent to the correctly given addresses, were never cashed. Trustee Mamoru Sakuda investigated this phenomenon and discovered that the students did not understand how to convert the dollar amount to yen. As we face these problems, and find out what causes them, we are solving the situation.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at our Philadelphia Meeting in October.

Australasia

International Trustee Jonathan Rogers reports that their Section held their annual Breakfast Meeting last March during the Australian National Congress where some 1700 Delegates attended. Their Section also set a record attendance with 110 Fellows at the Breakfast. Section Chair Mark Sinclair welcomed the crowd and gave comments on the status of PFA in context with dentistry both domestically and globally. Then Trustee Jonathan Rogers presented their Distinguished Service Award to PFA Vice President William Winspear, their former Trustee, and stated, “he has served PFA with great distinction as its International Trustee of this Section, as well as Secretary/Treasurer for more years than he cares to remember. He and I have worked together for many years as Trustees of this organization, and he has continually impressed me with his commitment to everything he does, and with loyalty to his friends and colleagues. He is a great ambassador for dentistry both in Australia and overseas. His abilities have been recognized by the Board of Trustees in the USA and we are all very pleased and proud that he was elected Vice President of the PFA in October 2004 in Orlando. On behalf of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the Australasian Section, I am very pleased to present to Dr. William Winspear the Distinguished Dentist Award with the PFA Honour Plaque in recognition of his contribution to dentistry and the Academy.”

PFA Vice President William Winspear then presented the Retiring Section Chair Citation from the Academy for Dr. Jonathan Rogers service as the Section Chairman.

Their Section then inducted 26 new Fellows into the Academy. Another 16 initiates were inducted in absentia.

Egypt

Abdel Hadi Nasif, President of the Egyptian Clinical Dental Society, announced their 12th International Dental Congress to be held in Cairo from 22-24 March 2006. The Congress will include some outstanding scientific sessions as well as a comprehensive dental exhibition to showcase the best and latest from the dental industry and technology. “Join us for a very special program, a unique opportunity for professional and personal renewal in an atmosphere full of love, peace, and friendship.”

France

Our new International Trustee for Europe, Dr. Hubert Ouvrard, also holds the position as Director of Publications for the French journal Actualites Odonto Stomatologiques.

Philippines

Chairman Diampo Lim reported holding their midyear Meeting at the historic Manila Hotel with Dr. Hernandez as Guest Speaker. He talked on “The Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly.” Their business meeting discussed pursuing the outreach program of the Academy, particularly the project to help the victims of the landslide in Infanta, Quezon, a Philippine Province that was hit by a typhoon. That resulted in a landslide, which killed hundreds and left thousands homeless.

In February the officers entreated the GMA Foundation to donate 50,000 pesos to helping the victims and their PFA Section donated through their Foundation.

Spain

Chair Jose Aguirre reported holding their Annual Meeting in Allcante at the end of last April. Dr. Jose De la Fuente, Chairman of the Organizing Committee prepared academic and social activities for the weekend. Professor Francisco Sanchez and Dr. Antonio Espana presented lectures on modern methodologies and professional ethics. The Investure Ceremony was held in “Castillo de Santa Barbara,” an old castle, to initiate three new Fellows into the Academy.

Professor Leopoldo Forner of the Universitat de Valencia was elected as President of the Spanish Section. Dr. J. Victor Llorente was proposed to organize the 2006 annual meeting in Castellon.

Uruguay

Dean Walter Lieber Bielli of Universidad Catolica del Uruguay Facultad de Odontologia, past Section Chair, attended the FDI Meeting in Montreal. He had received the Hillenbrand Award from the ADI, a most prestigious honor.