Dr. Joseph C. Harris

As I reach the midpoint of my term, I can report progress in the Academy's affairs. The most encouraging points for me as the Academy's President are witnessing first hand the commitment, effort and dedication shown by our local Section Chairpersons. The direction taken by each Section is unique and distinct, however the common element demonstrated by the successful Sections is that strong leadership equals a strong Section. This issue of the Dental World will begin a series of articles written by the leaders of the Academy's most active and vibrant Sections--with the purpose of giving a view of their philosophy and methodology they used to achieve success for PFA.

Final preparations are being made for the Academy's annual meeting, which will take place in San Francisco in October in conjunction with the American Dental Association's annual session. It is during these meetings that Academy "business" is tended to. The Executive Board and Board of Trustees finalize Old Business as well as create a blueprint for future activities. A summary of the meeting minutes will be available for your perusal on the President's Newsletter page on the PFA website.

Please keep in mind that our Annual Meeting is not all work and no play ... many fun activities also will take place during our event. Our prestigious Awards Luncheon, Section Chair Caucus, President's Reception, PFA Ladies Luncheon and President's Dinner Party provide many opportunities for PFA Fellows to network with each other. The truly international flavor of the Academy can make for some interesting and promising bedfellows (no pun intended). I hope that those of you who are planning on attending the ADA session will try to participate in some of our functions. Your Officers and Staff will gladly take you by the hand and give you an intimate view of our beloved Academy. I encourage you to visit the Academy's website (www.fauchard.org) to keep abreast of all the latest news regarding the annual meeting as well as all other PFA business.

I have the grand privilege of announcing to the Fellowship that the Academy's newest Section had its inaugural meeting on February 2, 2011. Thanks to the hard work and planning of PFA Fellow Dr. Dominique Caron, Dubai (UAE) has become the latest nation to join the ranks of the Academy. Twenty-six Fellows were inducted by Dr. Caron and PFA Immediate Past President Hubert Ouvrard. Dr. Caron will be receiving a Distinguished Service Award for his valiant efforts in this area.

Remember that we, the Officers and Staff of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, are ever cognizant that our duties and responsibilities are guided by our Mission Statement. You, the Fellows of the Academy, are the reason we work so diligently to maintain and improve the Academy. All plans, actions and implementations occur with you in mind. We encourage feedback from the "ranks" and it is the Board's greatest desire to receive discourse from you.

Dr. Joseph C. Harris
International President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

Dr. Ernesto Acuña

Last year we celebrated the 75th Anniversary of our beloved Academy, with the main celebration taking place in Paris, France, where Pierre Fauchard once lived and wrote his books that would lay the foundation of modern dentistry. Later in the year after the Paris festivities, another grand celebration was held in Mexico City at the French Embassy.

With the idea of paying tribute to the founder of our Academy, Dr. Elmer Best, and keeping with his ideals, the Academy will present the first " International Induction Ceremony" to be held in conjunction with the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM). The functions will take place in the main auditorium of the Jacob K Javits Convention Center in New York City on November 27th, 2012 . This event has been named in the memory of Dr. Elmer Best, with the intent of sharing knowledge of the dental profession worldwide.

The basic idea of performing this ceremony comes as a reflection of the times in which we live. We see the Academy taking on a more globalized position. We will take advantage of our international status and present the opportunity for Fellows, and for those candidates nominated to be inducted by their regional Chairpersons of different international sections, to meet. This strategy should strengthen ties of friendship and encourage the exchange of experiences, thus creating channels for future communications.

Traditionally, induction ceremonies take place in local Sections with nominees being inaugurated on their own turf. The international induction ceremony is a great opportunity for new candidates from different sections and regions of the world to come together and in one special ceremony, magnify our honor organization, and give light and example to the vision of the founder of our beloved Academy.

Dr. Ernesto Acuña E.
President Elect of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

Dr. Daniel Castagna

PFA: Awards For The Outstanding In Our Profession

The Pierre Fauchard Academy Constitution and Bylaws has seven objectives. Objective number three states: "encourage, through annual awards, outstanding contributions to the art and science of dentistry and service to the profession".

The Board of Trustees Awards Committee oversees the annual awards process, selection and proper honoree recognition. As your Pierre Fauchard Academy Vice President, I am the Committee Chairperson.

All Academy awards help fulfill our founder Dr. Elmer Best's vision and legacy for this honorary service organization. In the last Dental World issue, I reported on the Pierre Fauchard Academy Gold Medal. In this issue, I am highlighting the Elmer Best Memorial Award.

In 1962, the Board of Trustees established this award in memory of the Dr. Best. Its recipients are dental professionals from outside the United States who have made distinguished contributions to dentistry with international significance.

When the current Board of Trustees deems the occasion appropriate, one recipient is chosen that year. The Awards Committee solicits and receives nominations. There are two nomination sources: the current Board of Trustees, or any PFA Fellow. All Academy Fellows are encouraged to bring strong candidates forward to the Board of Trustees attention for Award consideration.

The following are required qualifications for Elmer Best Memorial Award consideration: candidates must have dental degree or its equivalent; reside outside the United States; show strong commitment and dedication to the dental profession needs; truly exhibit service and merit above recognized standards.

After the initial nomination and a PFA Fellow's supporting letter, further documentation maybe solicited by the Awards Committee. Then, after thorough nominee evaluations, the Awards Committee recommends a candidate for final Board of Trustees' approval. With the Board approval, the recipient is automatically deemed an Academy Honorary Fellow.

The Elmer Best Memorial Award is presented at a time and location mutually agreed upon by the recipient and the presenter. The presenter that bestows this award is designated as a PFA Ambassador and is usually the current PFA President.

In 2011, Dr. Jose Font-Buxo (Spain) was the recipient presented by then President Dr. Hubert Ouvrard (France). Current PFA President Joe Harris recently announced Dr. Burton Conrod of Nova Scotia Canada as the 2012 recipient (see page 00) . His presentation will occur this September in Canada.

In addition, the recipients and their spouse/guest are always invited to the Awards Luncheon during the annual PFA Academy meeting (concurrent with the American Dental Association Annual Sessions).

Please visit www.fauchard.org awards page for more details and see the 50 past recipients. After viewing this list, you become familiar with many "international dental legends".

Academy Fellows, I hope you realize the Academy's strength is honoring international leaders in our wonderful profession with Elmer Best Memorial Award. Be aware that all Fellows are invited to the annual awards luncheon on October 19, 2012, at the San Francisco Intercontinental Hotel.

As always, please contact me with any issues/concerns you may have for our Academy. I look forward to hearing from any Fellow. Thank you for this opportunity to serve our Pierre Fauchard Academy!

Dr. Daniel Castagna
Vice President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

Dr. Hubert Ouvrard

Dear Officers, Trustees and Fellows. In the last issue of Dental World, our dear Editor, Mark Stanley, published the list of newly inducted Fellows for 2011, the 75th Anniversary year of our Academy. We can read the names of close to 320 new Fellows from around the world. This is a great achievement in a very special year, but I'm afraid it is not enough. Some very active Sections have increased membership remarkably, while others languish. I realize the situation is not the same everywhere, even within the United States, but everyone must be mindful of the need to recruit new members. It is important to nominate new members and pass names along to their Section Chairs.

In the beginning of February, I went to Dubai at the invitation of my friend and colleague Dr. Dominique Caron, former General Secretary of the French Dental Academy and Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. As you will recall, Dubai is our newest section, having been established after three years of hard work. Dubai became the first section in the Middle East. As Immediate Past President, it was my honor to induct 20 new Fellows. The ultimate goal of Dr. Caron, now Chair of this section, is to have a sufficient number of Fellows in each country of the Middle East so that a new Region might be created. This is a very ambitious plan, but I know him well and I am sure he will succeed.

Dubai Section Chair Dominique Caron with PFA Immediate Past President Hubert Ouvrard.

I was honored to induct two new Fellows recruited by Dr. Pierre Marois, Trustee Emeritus of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. I was able to arrange this ceremony in his home as he is troubled with heavy health issues. You see, everyone must do what one can to maintain the Academy as a great honor society and the most important one in the world.

Too many know too little of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and we must work on communication so that our name is recognized throughout the profession. Our colleagues that are not Fellows need to know of us and our work so that we may instill in them a desire to join.

Next year will be a year of many changes with a new Executive Director and a new Central Office. We have been privileged to have worked for so many years with Richard and Judith Kozal We all will bear responsibility in working for the continuation of the success that Pierre Fauchard Academy has had so that the aims and objectives of the Academy benefit dentistry and the people it serves

Dr. Hubert P. Ouvrard
Immediate Past President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

Judith D. Kozal

Who and what are we? What will we become?

This year is flying away...how can time go by so quickly! The Central Office has been kept "crazy" busy since the beginning of the year thanks to our ever-multi-tasking and hard working Section Chairs. I can't remember so many requests for Fellowship induction materials...and all for the same meeting time frame! No complaints here as this is a really good thing as it shows our PFA "Family" is constantly growing and strong. How great is that!

All of this activity reminds me that the visionaries who started our Academy in 1936 would be proud to see how those who followed them have taken the stewardship of their vision seriously......faithfully fulfilling the steps laid down to ensure the "Family" would continue in the same spirit they intended it to be. We've made it happen for 75 years now.....not an easy task at times, but nevertheless here we are, better than ever.

Yes, we have come a very long way from index cards in a shoe-box and I'm sure our fore-fathers might have had a hard time envisioning just how far we would come. While hoping their early work would set in place the growth of their "child", I'm sure they could not have imagined our wonderful web-site, our modern methods of communication, our beautiful Fellowship certificates and our many Awards. I am sure however, that their greatest hope has been realized in the fact that our PFA "Family" has not only maintained and sustained their vision, but has also been able to accomplish so much more by holding true to their original plan and the traditions they thought to create.

Keeping all of these thoughts in mind, I thought it might be a good time to refresh the collective memories of our long-time Fellows and Life-Fellows and enlighten our newest family members to exactly what and who we are...and how it all comes together to make it work so well! First of all we need to remember the Academy was organized with an orderly system. We have a set of steps everyone follows and a "Chain of Command". To make this simple and short......the Academy operates with a President and Officers who preside over a Board of Trustees, who guide the Section Chairs and of course the Fellows themselves.

At the center of the system is the Central Office, with an Executive Director who runs the day to day business of the Academy. The Central Office and the Director are the connection to All the Officers, Trustees, Section Chairs and Fellows in all regions and sections both in the US and internationally. The Central office and the Director are in place to support everyone and everything....everywhere. The Central Office provides materials needed for the Section Chairs to invite qualified dentists to join the Academy. Dentists who are already Fellows also may nominate other dentists to join, however the Section Chair has the responsibility to ensure the nominees are qualified. The Academy does not grow the ranks just for the sake of growth. PFA is about quality not quantity and our devoted Section Chairs are the best judge of quality. This is why they have been given and have accepted the responsibility of recruiting new PFA members....and this is why PFA is so successful.

The Central Office and the Director have many duties and responsibilities, but there are some things which are never done by the office or it's Director; Recruiting new members, marketing products (The Academy is not in the business of marketing products), advertising and communications. The Academy does not "advertise" to recruit new members. Fellows are invited by other Fellows. As far as communications are concerned, we have a wonderful, efficient and knowledgeable Editor and Web-Master who has created a web-site which is the envy of all other organizations. Through our web-site our Fellows have a wealth of information at the click of their mouse and are able to communicate their questions, concerns and many other things directly to the Editor and the Director of the Central Office. Any Officer, Trustee, Section Chair or Fellow can also contact the Central Office by phone and speak to the Director personally at any time. This is another reason why PFA is so successful......we have a "personal" touch, a rare thing in these times of automation....a very rare thing! Let's not spoil our success with a blind need to become like so many other organizations who are struggling perhaps because they have forgotten how they started out many years ago...with success!

Wishing you All Good Things......... See you in San Francisco!
Faithfully yours,
Judith D. Kozal
Executive Director of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

Mark D. Stanley

Dentistry and oral health care remain one of the most direct and hands-on relationships in health care today.  You can greatly affect your patients overall care by how you treat your patient with respect,  and how you convey that you have the their best interests in mind. You can give confidence to your patients that there exist many levels of help out there in the health professions to provide great care, a spectrum of care, across  all stages of life, and in any circumstance.  Excellence in oral health care is one of the original goals of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, which is still clearly expressed today in its a publication of the official Dental Abstracts journal and the Dental World news update, and both are available online to readers using many different devices.

It is the privilege and the role of an editor to bring together each Dental World issue and see it all the way through each of the publication steps. Each issue can that take up to two months to complete, from the very first reports and images that arrive via email from Section Chairs, to the final approvals of the page layout just before it goes to press. The completed issue then arrives at your doorstep in 2-3 weeks and then is also eventually posted online. My job is to make sense of each issue and present it as a whole if possible. So many different aspects of the profession are covered in a range of articles. Some are historical, others cover present-day concerns and issues. A calendar is assembled to help keep Fellows aware of upcoming events. Special coverage for award recipients is an important focus - providing recognition of successful and the resourceful professionals in oral health. There are so many wonderful faces of the PFA to be presented: Awardees receiving special recognition for their contributions to dentistry, college scholarship winners, new Fellows being inducted, Section meetings in many different places, location photos showing oral-care being delivered through special grant-funded public-service projects.

The medium of publication and communication has seen some radical transformations in the last decade or so. Now each Dental World issue goes beyond print as we adapt to an ever changing world of rapidly advancing technologies in production and distribution, with instant delivery over networks. Our publisher Elsevier is moving ahead to envision what the Dental Abstracts journal may be in another decade. They are asking questions such as: how will future dentists be reading and accessing the information they need to keep on top of their field? Publishers are now moving out on an ever-evolving path - adapting to a wired world that is globally interconnected. It might be tablet "apps", or embracing the evolution of web publishing standards for encoding content and delivering the best possible presentation of materials. It may be all open access, or subscription-based. Expectations are already being set that the needed resources of the future will be "always on" and available interactively in a 24/7 wired world. For those with smart phones, we now can print and display special QR codes that can be scanned by your phone's camera and take you immediately to a webpage for further reading (see the History article on French Dentist Georges Villain ) so you can learn more about a topic.

I hope the past two years have brought some welcome changes to the Dental World publication, and there will still more changes yet to come. There is always one important question that I hope every issue can address in some manor: What make a great dentist? How would you answer that question for yourself? Does each issue help you learn more about what it takes to be a leader in your profession? How do you know when you have exceeded you own expectations and that of your patients? Please send in your own suggestions and contribute your voice and professional insights to this publication, the public face of your organization. 

Mark D. Stanley
Dental World Editor of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

New Fellow in Chile Dra. Danitza Pecarevic Muñoz

The moment that I received my Pierre Fauchard Academy certificate at the induction ceremony, I thought of my first image of dentistry: I was six years of age that one morning as I sat in the waiting room of my school's recently acquired dental clinic waiting for a checkup. I heard my name called, the clinic door opened and before me appeared a majestic and once modern Ritter dental unit; this true marvel unfolded before this girl's astonished eyes. The dentist, like a hero in a Hollywood movie, knew exactly how to control this machine, turning each of its switches, lights and engine. After careful consideration, the doctor chose what I would later learn is named a "bur" from a large group of other instruments and chose the right one! This was the day I decided that I should become a dentist.

As my dream of becoming a dentist was somewhat in the distant future, I transferred my desire to achieve that profession to that of child's play by using dolls and a plaster model recently disposed of by a dental student as my patient and aided by my armamentarium of scissors and an "assistant". I performed many "fillings" by condensing chocolates into the cavity preps I made in the teeth of the plaster model.

Years later when I truly began my career of dentistry, my family teased me by reminding me about my "real "entry into the profession when I was "playing" to be dentist.

My student life was uneventful at the prestigious University of Chile. There was of course a lot of studying and a lot of dedication and motivation. These were the factors that helped me achieve my goal.

In the fourth year of my studies, I received permission to enter a supervised Medico-Dental program of emergency practice in a suburb of the Santiago, the capitol of Chile. One Saturday afternoon a young patient from a rural community who was involved in a motorcycle accident presented for secondary treatment after being seen for a wound on his left cheek and forehead. To complete the case, the patient had to be reviewed by a dentist. The supervising dentist was busy with other patients, leaving the motorcycle patient, who happened to be asleep as he arrived via ambulance, in my care. While in the middle of suturing an intraoral wound, I observed that he had a somewhat sloppily sutured dressing which covered a cheek wound. With great pride and skill I re-tied the suture with all of the care and precision that I was taught in school. After completing the suturing of the cheek I checked the forehead and just as I expected I encountered an even longer and more unsightly suture. I proceeded to remove it and following the steps that I had learned in my classes of surgery, I used my gloved finger to explore the tissue looking for any foreign bodies, and surprise surprise ... I discovered the frontal bone had a hole which exposed part of an extensive fracture of the skull. The brain tissue was exposed. And all that I was concerned about was the aesthetics of the sutures!!!

After my desperate cries to doctors and my shift supervisor alerting them of what I had found, the motorcyclist was transferred to emergency neurosurgery for two cranial surgeries, followed by hospitalization and after several weeks in the ICU. He was eventually discharged. A few days later and still shaken by the experience, I received a visit from the mother of the patient, a woman of very meager means, who excitedly brought me the best gift that she could afford; fresh oranges harvested by her own hands from a tree in her own yard. I assumed from the attending doctors, and the tears of the woman, that the boy survived. On this Saturday evening, I stopped "playing" at being a dentist, and came to understand the real dimension of my Profession.

Professionals are the repositories of scientific knowledge in our field, equipped with lengthy training and a special clinical skills. They reach the deepest dimensions of our field, the guardians of the sacred, human life, attached to transcendent values that give meaning to our professional identity.

The career of a dentist is regulated by ethical standards and legal precepts of the highest regard and scope, but one must also profess faith in our clinical knowledge. We are obligated to display our moral character with a high degree of commitment and dedication.

This dedication to the profession, via our altruism and the commitment that we demonstrate to our career , is an ode to the legacy of Pierre Fauchard. Not only was Dr. Fauchard a competent professional, researcher, and innovative creator, he also dignified the profession by the example he set.

As professionals in the healthcare field, we are expected to demonstrate the highest of standards in the public as well as in clinical practice. There is no one in the world more vulnerable and sensitive than a patient who suffers from dental ailments. Our patients suffer physically, but also suffer emotionally for whatever reasons such as low self-esteem. There is a need for society to be able to implicitly trust their professionals and more so with honest and reliable dentists. With trust and confidence our patients can more readily accept our treatment plans as they know we have their best interests at heart, regardless of the cost. The benefit of belonging to a group of professionals of explicit integrity speaks for itself and we as a group must maintain our standard and thus maintain our standing with the public with which we serve.

Our art also compels us. Like Pierre Fauchard in his time, we can contribute to our generation by the dissemination of knowledge. We can incorporate evidence-based knowledge that supports today's train of thought while at the same time encouraging development to new thoughts that correspond to the evolution and changing needs of society. Our advances elevate the quality of life of those we serve.

Times have changed, of that there can be no doubt, and various external forces have been imposed on our profession. There is perverse game of competitiveness in higher education which has diluted the importance of specialty programs by multiplying the types of advanced training programs in dentistry, at times without the necessary accreditation.

It is important to note the following. Dentistry is the only field in which students, in the middle of their training, are required to perform clinical procedures which are invasive and irreversible in patients, in areas of high complexity and adjacent to vital structures. Our responsibility to society and to future generations of colleagues is enormous.

It is the responsibility of our generation to safeguard the legacy that was left to us by the colleagues that preceded us. Those, like Fauchard, assumed their work as a virtuous activity, a moral enterprise. By placing the professionalism in Dentistry at a high level, were able to achieve Fauchard's dream.

It is in this realm that our profession presses on. As members of an academic community, professional society, dental service community, and especially, of this Academy of honor, we are duty bound to be examples for those colleagues who have been newly initiated into this Academy, and for the future colleagues who will some day us replace us.

The dental profession is at a critical juncture. Its ability to maintain a leadership role in our society depends to a great extent on its will to express itself with excellence and ethical behavior. The best legacy that we can leave for the future generations of dentists is to be models of a highly reflective, responsible professional. We can be a profession that benefits from constant self-criticism and auto-regulation. We can be professionals with compassion, amiability, comprehension and solidarity, and above all, maintaining an attitude of service and commitment. This is the only way to maintain the prestige, honor and dignity of the Profession, today and tomorrow.

Dra. Danitza Pecarevic Muñoz
PFA Chile Section Fellow

Dr. Karyn L. Stockwell

Vision, passion and enthusiasm can rally your Section around common goals. It is easy for others to get excited about things to be done when an energetic leader is showing the way. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success". Being willing to try new things and valuing member involvement are critical. It is best to not do it alone; be sure to delegate and engage others in the work of your Section so you can turn vision into reality.

Consider dividing your Section into districts, perhaps following your State Association district lines and appointing a District Chair in each one. In this way you have multiple people helping to find and vet worthy candidates, and a core group to motivate and encourage the Fellows within their district to become more involved and to help steer toward the goals of the Academy. They are also able to help gather feedback so your Section can act upon it.

In Georgia each Section Chair over the past 10 years has been selected from the District Chair pool and has stood on the shoulders of their predecessor in order to add their own autograph of excellence. Momentum was built up and continues with the bar being raised each and every year. When a great job has been done, no one wants to be the one who lets it slide on his or her watch!

The Academy encourages Section Chairs to serve one three-year term with the opportunity to serve a second term; having District Chairs gives the Section Chair a way to recruit his/her replacement by having a pool of informed and engaged members familiar with how the Section runs. This also allows the opportunity to implement new ideas and to gain a fresh perspective for the Section, and gives a definite end point and thus motivation to groom your replacement. This is how Georgia rebuilt their Section following a period of inactivity following the unexpected death of a Section Chair who did everything himself. This format helps combat burnout while also giving time to implement new ideas.

Some Sections utilize a Vice President, President Elect and President format, with a Secretary/Treasurer serving a multiyear term. The difficulty with this format from a Trustee perspective is that that particular Section may not have the opportunity to get "their guy" noticed by the PFA Board of Trustees, and subsequently not have an avenue to serve in an Academy Leadership position.

Another important reason for a three-year term is to have a pool of experienced, knowledgeable and motivated Section Chairs for the Trustee to recruit his/her replacement (Trustees serve a three-year term and may be elected to a second three-year term), and thus gain international experience and an opportunity to serve as an officer of the Academy.

Engaging your members in Section functions creates community. Your functions need to allow for New Fellows to participate immediately and your programs need to provide value. One of the benefits of Georgia having a weekend long conference is that it takes a committee to put it together and this allows opportunity for Fellows and new Fellows to be involved. As a secondary benefit, it is a great leadership training ground for those who have been recognized as having great potential for future leadership.

It is important for each Section to develop member benefits--value is key for long-term retention of members. Many Sections have instituted a student scholarship separate from the Academy's Foundation Scholarship; others have Faculty Awards, white coat ceremonies, mentoring programs and service projects. An active Section is more likely to have success in applying and receiving foundation grants. Since the Georgia Section has become active, in addition to the student scholarship at GHSU, over $40,000 in grant monies has come into the state from the PFA Foundation for access to care projects at community clinics and the Georgia Mission of Mercy project. This is impressive and it helps to see fellowship as an ongoing relationship rather than "I got an award and now I'm done." We are more than a "lapel pin" organization. Fellowship in PFA shouldn't end with a certificate on the wall and a pin on your lapel, Fellowship should serve as a catalyst for Fellows to be, do and give more of themselves in service to their families, profession and community. While Fellowship is a tribute to past accomplishments it also an encouragement for future productivity. Sections are the source of inspiration for Fellows to not only be proud of their fellowship but also to become strong proponents of the Academy.

Encouraging new Fellow sponsors to attend the Induction ceremony with their nominee as this also serves to actively engage our Fellows with Section activities. Having the sponsor in attendance makes the honor for the nominee even more special and it models the expected future behavior for the nominee.

Your section's strength depends on the level of membership involvement in its programs or functions. To succeed, combine and coordinate the efforts of your members to develop useful and relevant programs or functions. Give Kids a Smile, Mission of Mercy projects, Fellow involvement in community clinics, White Coat ceremonies, etc, are meaningful and active ways for members to get involved in Section activities.

How can you improve your Section's meetings and inductions? Does your Section's new Fellow induction feel more like an afterthought than a well-planned event? Does your Section only ever meet with another group, or is it a rushed breakfast where everyone has somewhere else they have to be? By far the most active and engaged Sections are those that host a separate event to induct their Nominees and present Honor Awards, many of these Sections still participate in combined breakfast meetings but find brunches, luncheons, dinner dances, a continuing education event with an induction luncheon or even entire weekend conference to be a much better venue for this important activity. So be bold, be inventive, and make it fun so your Fellows will come!

Attendance at the annual Academy Section Caucus is another valuable way to see how to implement or improve your Section Activities. Section Chairs are encouraged to attend this caucus at least once during their 3-year term as it is held in conjunction with the ADA and thus should be relatively convenient to attend at least once in that time as the ADA meeting generally moves around the country. Additionally, a stipend is available for the Section Chair to help offset the expense of attending the Caucus. At the Caucus successful Section Chairs are always willing to share great ideas, and typically have overcome any obstacles you might be facing. I personally gained much from attending these Caucus' and in doing so found myself challenged that if "such and such state could do that, then certainly Georgia could too!" It is where I picked up many good ideas to implement in Georgia and shared our successes with others.

I would also encourage Section Chairs and Fellows in general to participate in the Academy Awards Luncheon and the President's Reception during the ADA Annual Meeting. You will meet Fellows from all over the world and enjoy wonderful camaraderie.

In closing, rather than say "can't never could do nothing", just say "how can I" and make your success happen! Be more than a "lapel pin" Section!

On the morning of my 15th birthday my father, who was a dentist, asked me what I wanted to be in the future. I replied that, like him, I wanted to help people and earn their respect as a dentist. That evening at my birthday dinner my father presented me with his "bible," a book of basic medicine, and a copy of the biography of Dr. Hideo Noguchi. Though my father knew that the book of basic medicine would be far too difficult for a youth of fifteen to understand, he said that just having it near at hand would help me come to the realization of what was involved in the path I had chosen. I read the biography of the bacteriologist Dr. Hideo Noguchi over and over. He was the first Japanese to be a member of the Rockefeller Institute, and while in South America he sacrificed his life for his research. The biography impressed upon me the responsibilities of one who practices medicine, and how one must strive continuously to gain knowledge in order to help others.

I have recommended a great many books to many people, but none has had a more profound influence upon my attitude toward my profession than this one given to me by my father.

Later, I proceeded to study at Osaka Dental College under Professor Ono, under whom my father had also been privileged to study. Following graduation, Mr. Michinosuke Nakayama introduced me to Dr. Doerr who made possible my post-graduate studies at the University of Michigan. He helped and advised me a great deal while I was there. Bearing all of this in mind, it was not by chance that I was able to develop ultrasonic endodontics, but rather due to my having been blessed with such a wonderful father, teachers and guides.

To me, it is important to have a goal in life, many great friends, to read many books, respect the lives and work of the pioneers of medicine, and to apply myself to helping others. However, it is through making others happy that I have the right to the greatest happiness.

-- Dr. Atsumu Miyahara, Japan

(excerpted from Legacy, The Dental Profession, by Dr. Clifford Loader and Dr. Shig Ryan Kishi)

Please click here to go to the PFA Annual Meeting Schedule in San Francisco located located on the Fauchard.org website.

Please click here to see invitation for the PFA International Induction Ceremony at the GYNDM located on the Fauchard.org website.

Dr. Kevin L. Roach

President of the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy

With warm summer nights at the cottage and perfectly manicured golf greens soon to be history for another year I must reflect back on the past few months with joy and some satisfaction. Thanks to a resurgent Dow Jones and dare we say an improving American economy our Foundation corpus has improved nicely year to date. Now if the forthcoming American Presidential election result is kind to the financial markets we shall all breath a sigh of relief be we Canadians, Americans, Mexicans or any other nationality looking for a reprieve from record unemployment, stagnant economies and mounting government deficits. Increasing donations to improve the number and amount of our grants as well as the financial level of the student scholarships is still our most laudable goal and to this end I must thank those fellows who have stepped up and made their commitment in a very tangible way. They are all deservedly recognized on our web site.

This past spring I was fortunate to be able to attend two outstanding Fellowship Inductions: the first in Denver on April 22nd and the second in Toronto on May 10th. In Denver, PFA Colorado Section Chair Terry Brewick hosted a delicious brunch at the Columbine Golf and Country Club with a 'Year of the Dragon' Chinese theme that one had to see to believe! Fourteen new fellows were installed in this elegant yet homey setting. Among the new inductees was my daughter Maureen as well as several of her classmates, outstanding candidates all, many of whom like my daughter are active participants in 'Give Kids a Smile Day' (in which participating offices provide a full day of complimentary dental treatment to children in need of care) as well as other charitable endeavours in the Denver area such as new PFA Fellow Dr. Anil Idiculla's 'Friday Night Bites' a personal fund raiser for the 'Colorado Orthodontic Youth Foundation'. Some ninety attendees witnessed friends and relatives be honored by the Academy and graciously listened to myself, Pierre Fauchard Academy International President Joseph C. Harris and PFA Vice-President Daniel Castagna update all in attendance. PFA Region 3 Trustee Karyn Stockwell from Georgia also attended and her superb protocol skills were evident in the Induction Ceremony for the new fellows.

In Toronto the Royal York Hotel was the scene of a Gala Dinner attended by over one hundred friends and relatives of some thirty-one new fellows. Ontario Section Chair Aldo Boccia hosted a magnificent feast in an elegant location frequented by U.S. Presidents and British Royalty. PFA Canada Chair Barry Dolman was on hand to welcome the new fellows and Region Six Trustee Tom Breneman read the charge to the inductees. The new fellows represented a cross section of Canada's largest province, Ontario and neighboring provinces. Many have been active participants in their local community charities, the Ontario Dental Association, Alpha Omega, and the Toronto Academy of Dentistry; a truly outstanding new fellowship class! Once again Trustee Karyn Stockwell was in attendance and this time brought greetings from President Joseph C. Harris of behalf of the Academy. I was pleased to welcome the Section 3 Trustee to Toronto, host and partially repay Karyn for her southern hospitality when I visited her outstanding Georgia Section meeting while serving as PFA President in 2004. The year 2012 is a banner one for Canada as for the first time they are holding two new fellow inductions with the second upcoming in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan site of this year's annual Canadian Dental Association convention in September. I look forward to personally welcoming President Joe to Canada at that time and joining him as he awards the 2012 Elmer S. Best Award to an exceptional Canadian dentist, Dr. Burton Conrad. (see March April 2012 issue of Dental World, page 5.) Until then enjoy the dog days of summer and continue your support of the Foundation in your charitable giving.

Dr. Kevin L. Roach
President of the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy