CHICAGO – Dr. Mo K. Kang, a 2002 recipient of the American Association of Endodontists Foundation “Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award” was recently named the first-ever Endowed Jack Weichman Chairman of Endodontics at University of California Los Angeles.
The chair was created to support the teaching and research activities of an academic endodontist. The UCLA School of Dentistry teaches the specialty to students in its four-year doctor of dental surgery degree program as well as to graduate dentists enrolled in a two-year residency training program.
“The purpose of the Educator Fellowship Award is to help outstanding residents become academic leaders,” said Dr. Denis E. Simon III, AAE Foundation president. “We are extremely proud to have one of our awardees become such an integral part of a prestigious university, teaching the future of dentistry.”
The Endodontic Educator Fellowship Awards were created to recognize the critical role that endodontic educators play in strengthening their specialty and to address the need for more endodontic specialists to teach in dental schools. Representatives from the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the AAE’s Board of Directors worked together to develop the concept and guidelines in 2000, creating a program that was one of the first of its kind among the nation’s dental specialty associations. Fourteen Fellowships have been granted since the program began.
“The Foundation is dedicated to the continued health and prosperity of the specialty,” said Dr. Simon. “It is through providing grants and other research awards that we can set the course for endodontics, and through exemplary endodontists such as Dr. Kang that we can feel secure in that future.”
Fellowship Award winners receive tuition plus $2,500 per month for living expenses for up to three years. In return, Fellows agree to teach full-time within three months after graduation for a minimum of five years at a dental school that is accredited by, or has a reciprocal agreement with, the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.
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The American Association of Endodontists Foundation, incorporated in 1966, is the philanthropic arm of the AAE. It is a 501 (c)3 charity. Its mission is to improve oral health by securing contributions, shepherding resources and sharing grant funds that support research, generate new knowledge and enhance endodontic education. Today, with over $20 million invested in the endowment fund and another $5 million pledged, the Foundation provides the specialty with resources to address needs, meet challenges and realize dreams for the future.
The American Association of Endodontists, headquartered in Chicago, represents more than 7,000 members worldwide, including approximately 95 percent of all eligible endodontists in the United States. The Association, founded in 1943, is dedicated to excellence in the art and science of endodontics and to the highest standard of patient care. The Association inspires its members to pursue professional advancement and personal fulfillment through education, research, advocacy, leadership, communication and service.