Message from the President

Initially I want to send my best greetings to all Fellows of all Regions and sections of the Academy.

In the year of 1936 the Pierre Fauchard Academy was born under the leadership of its founder Dr. Elmer S. Best accompanied by distinguish professionals of that time who established the main bases for the operation and development of the Academy. Since its inception, the PFA Officers meet annually and put forth their best efforts towards the focus of directives on which the Academy was founded, as well as developing new programs and strengthening and increasing Fellowship.

Historically speaking, the Academy has been under the leadership of the American wing of the organization however Dr. Best possibly had a grander vision of the Academy as an International honor organization with leadership opportunities afforded to Fellows of other Regions as has been witnessed by Australia, Canada and France bring with them their own platforms of ways to strengthen and increase Fellowship, look no further than our recent 75th anniversary celebrations as proof of our international flavor.

In the course of our lives we have cycles and periods, and now by the circumstance of fate the leadership of the Academy is in the hands of a president from another country, belonging to Latin America...Mexico. During this new era, under my responsibility, we have a new team consisting of our new Executive Director Ms. Loralie Lowder with whom we have moved the central office to Logan, Utah, USA, a new Dental World Editor, Dr. Fiona Collins and a new professional company in charge of handling our website, a communication tool of vital importance in the life of our beloved Academy. I give the warmest of welcomes to the newest members of our family and I express my sincerest hope for future success. To each of my predecessors who have devoted the best portion of their lives and given their unselfish effort to our Academy, my deep heartfelt appreciation goes to you.

Dr. Ernesto Acuña President.

New Executive Director announced

Greetings to the Fellows of the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ms. Loralie Lowder of Logan, Utah has been chosen as the Academy's new Executive Director. If the surname "Lowder" sounds familiar to you, it is probably due to the fact that her father, Dr. Gary Lowder, is a Past President of the Academy. Loralie grew up in the Academy and looks at her new position as family duty as much as it is a "job". She comes to us via the University of Washington as a Regional Research Coordinator for dental practice based research, a position which has equipped her with the skills to lead and organize our Central Office.

Ms. Lowder will be attending our Annual meeting in San Francisco this October, giving you an opportunity to meet her. She is anxious to get your thoughts and ideas regarding how the Central Office can improve the Academy for our Fellowship. Communication is the key to nurturing relationships and Loralie has assured us that she will always be available to you, be it by email correspondence or telephone, to expedite any matters that need to be addressed.

I hope that each and every one of you take a moment to say, "Hi"' to Loralie and welcome her to our PFA family! She can be reached at: loralielow@gmail.com

Warmest Regards, Joseph C. Harris, DD, PFA President, 2011-2012

Executive Board meeting, June 07, 2012

The Executive Board of the Pierre Fauchard Academy held its Mid-year meeting at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego, CA on June 7, 2012.

President Joe Harris gave an update of the search for the new Executive Director. At present, five candidates are being considered with presentations to be made to the Search Committee by late June/early July. Once the final selection has been made the transition process will begin in September 2012 in Mesquite by present Executive Director Judith Kozal. Personal and hands on training will continue during the Annual meeting and continue until early November. The transfer of Academy equipment and data should occur short before the end of the year. Mrs. Kozal has agreed to remain as a consultant to the new Director during the neophytes first year.

The Board reviewed Officer travel policies.The following policies were voted and approved: Sections with more than 100 Fellows are eligible to receive Academy funded visits by up to two Officers per meeting and Sections under 100 Fellows are eligible to receive Academy funded visits by one Officers per meeting. International Sections are eligible for Academy funded visits by Officers every other year. Exceptions to the above can be granted by presidential approval.

It was determined that the Executive Mid-year meeting could and should be held via teleconferencing (Copper call) however due to the fact that the Academy will have a new Executive Director, the Board feels that the traditional "onsite" meeting should continue at least one more year, giving the Board an opportunity for an evaluation of the new ED. The eventual plan of teleconferencing future Executive Board meeting for cost saving purposes should go into effect within the next two or three years.

President Elect Acuña reported that he is finalizing his plans for an international induction ceremony held in conjunction with the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM). The ceremony will be held on November 27,2012 from 11am to 12:30pm followed by a formal lunch (1pm-4pm). The celebration will be of no cost to the Academy.

PFA accountant Dan Jonker, reported that the Academy's finances are in good order with 2011 showing a slight surplus.

2012 is being approached with great caution as the regular and expected expenses will also be accompanied by the unknown costs of preparing for a new Executive Director and setting up a new Central Office.

Mrs. Kozal gave an update of Central Office activities: 1st and 2nd dues notices have been sent, the planning of the October Annual meeting has been completed, student award letters have been sent out, new Fellows have been processed , etc ,etc ,etc..

Mrs. Kozal announced that at the Awards Luncheon in San Francisco, 7 doctors from Kenya and 10 from Northern California will be inducted. She also informed the Board of that The Distinguished Dentist award, once given only by US Sections, is now available to be given by all Sections. Honorary Fellowship can only be given once a year.

Vice President Castagna gave the latest information on the awards. Please refer to his report in Dental World for the list of recipients.

The Section Chair Caucus meeting will be "MC-ed" by Region 9 Trustee Mark Sinclair. A survey will be sent to various Chairs requesting advice for the caucus agenda. Electronic invitations will be sent periodically to the Chairs as a reminder of the event. The Board of Trustees and Officers will attend throughout the caucus in order to meet and interact with the Chairs.

Mark Stanley gave an update of the Web/Dental World. He explained the activity or "visits" to the Academy website with July 2011 being the busiest averaging out at 1,361 daily visits with 5,446 pages viewed daily. He informed of plans to utilize the back page of Dental Abstracts for varying photographs. The Board was split regarding the use of that page for commercial advertising... TBC. Stanley will be investigating social media, tracking, Google notification, etc and how they may fit in future PFA operations.

Dr. Dominique Caron, the PFA Fellow responsible for the creation of the Dubai section, requested that the Middle East be designated a region and that he be placed as Trustee. The Board is very enthusiastic about the opportunities that lay in the Middle East, however the Board has requested that Dr. Caron present a plan of action and informed him that a minimum number of countries and a minimum number of Fellows are required before the Middle East can be designated a Region. The Board of Trustees will be kept informed.

Dr. Harris reported that per the Academy's By-laws, requests for written nominations and seconds for the office of Vice President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy will be sent 60 days prior to the Academy's annual meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:50pm

-Dr. Joseph C. Harris, PFA President, 2011-2012

New PFA section created in Dubai

I have the grand privilege of announcing to the Fellowship that the Academy's newest section will have its inaugural meeting in February. 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.

While living in France Dr. Caron served as the General Secretary of the French Academy of Dentistry. In 2008 he moved to Dubai and upon arriving there, he began to survey possibilities for creating a Section in the Gulf region. With a lot of self determination and also encouragement from PFA Immediate Past President Hubert Ouvrard, Dr. Caron's dream of creating the first PFA section in the emirates has become a reality.

Twenty-six dentists will be inducted into Fellowship on February 2, 2012. Kudos to Drs. Caron and Ouvrard for a job well done !!!

-Dr. Joseph C. Harris, PFA President, 2011-2012

2012 Elmer Best Award winner is Dr. Burton Conrod

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Burton Conrod of Nova Scotia, Canada has been named the 2012 winner of the Academy’s prestigious Elmer Best Award.

Dr. Conrod has served as president of the Cape Breton Island Dental Society(1979), the Nova Scotia Dental Association(1989), The Canadian Dental Association(2000-2001), and the World Dental Federation(2007-2009). He holds fellowships in the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the International College of dentists, the Academy of Dentists International, and the American College of Dentists.

Dr Conrod’s commitment and dedication to the profession is reflected by his many prestigious recognitions which include being the recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award Dalhousie University 2000, The Philip S. Christie Award for Distinguished Service from the Nova Scotia Dental Association 2002, The Distinguished Service Award Pierre Fauchard Academy 2006, The Canadian Dental Association Medal of Honor 2010, and The American Dental Association Honorary Membership 2010.

Stay tuned for details of the presentation.

-Dr. Joseph C. Harris, PFA President, 2011-2012