AAE Honors Leaders in the Specialty

Those recognized include:

Carl W. Newton, D.D.S., M.S.D., who received the AAE’s highest honor, the Edgar D. Coolidge Award, given for leadership and exemplary dedication to dentistry and endodontics. Since earning his M.S.D. from the Indiana University of Dentistry in 1977, Dr. Newton has been an active and enthusiastic participant in the endodontic and dental communities. A past AAE president, past AAE director, past trustee for the AAE Foundation, and past president of the American Board of Endodontics, Dr. Newton has served on a variety of committees and boards in the specialty, including the Journal of Endodontics Scientific Advisory Board and as an official spokesperson for the Association. Dr. Newton presents at a wide variety of continuing education events and has an illustrious publication record that stretches back more than 30 years. He is currently a part-time member of the faculty at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, and maintains a part-time private practice in Avon and Indianapolis, Ind.

J. Craig Baumgartner, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., was honored with the Louis I. Grossman Award, recognizing an author for cumulative publication of significant research studies that have made an extraordinary contribution to endodontology. An AAE member since 1973, Dr. Baumgartner is a vital contributor to endodontic research and literature. He has published more than 100 research articles and 13 textbook chapters, and was co-editor of the 6^th edition of Ingle’s Endodontics. A past associate editor of the Journal of Endodontics, Dr. Baumgartner also served as president of the American Board of Endodontics. At the School of Dentistry at Oregon Health & Science University, he was a professor, chair of the department of endodontology and director of the advanced education program in endodontics. Upon retirement, Dr. Baumgartner was awarded the status of professor emeritus and received the President’s Award from the OHSU Alumni Association. Dr. Baumgartner previously was chief of microbiology at the United States Army Institute of Dental Research and director of the advanced education program in endodontics at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Billie G. Jeansonne, D.D.S., Ph.D., received the I.B. Bender Lifetime Educator Award. A dedicated instructor and mentor, Dr. Jeansonne began her career as a professor of biology and physiology at the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans, and then as the course director of dental physiology for the same institution. She began teaching endodontics at the LSU School of Dentistry in 1977, first as clinical assistant professor, then as clinical associate professor, and finally to her current position as coordinator and professor of postgraduate endodontics. Dr. Jeansonne has served on a number of AAE committees focusing on educational programs and standards and she was an instrumental part in revising and standardizing the Oral Examination portion of the Board Certification Process for the American Board of Endodontics.

Adam Lloyd, B.D.S., M.S., was recognized with the Edward M. Osetek Educator Award, presented to a full-time educator with less than 10 years of teaching experience. A member of the AAE since 2004, Dr. Lloyd already has made extraordinary strides in his teaching career and contributions to the world of endodontic education. He received his B.D.S. at the University of Wales College of Medicine in 1994, his Certificate in Endodontics from the Baylor College of Dentistry in 2001, and his M.S. from Baylor in 2003. From 2002 to 2006, Dr. Lloyd was the director of predoctoral endodontics at the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry. He went on to an associate professorship at the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine, and is currently an associate professor in the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health and Science Center.

Adolph Bushell, D.D.S., received the Spirit of Service Lifetime Dental Community Award for his dedication to treating the underserved. A practicing endodontist, educator and award-winning humanitarian, Dr. Bushell has dedicated much of his life’s work to volunteer dentistry. After receiving his D.D.S. at Temple University, Dr. Bushell served in the Project Hope Hospital in Sri Lanka and the West Indies, provided dental services in Guatemala and Cambodia with Heal the Children, assisted in developing a dental clinic in Haiti with the Haitian Health Foundation, and led a group of volunteer dentists from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine along the Amazon River in Peru. He continues to provide volunteer services today, most recently working with the Mission of Mercy program in Connecticut, which offers free dental care to uninsured residents of the state.

Gunnar Bergenholtz, D.D.S., was bestowed with Honorary Membership in the AAE. An important figure in the European endodontic community, Dr. Bergenholtz has held a variety of teaching and research positions at universities and research councils in Sweden, the United States and Singapore. He became an Associate member of the AAE in 1979, and from 1984 to 1989, Dr. Bergenholtz was professor and chair of the department of endodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, where he was also the first holder of the Jacob B. Freeland Chair. Upon his return to Gothenburg, Sweden in 1989, he served as professor and chair of the department of endodontology and oral diagnosis at the University of Gothenburg until his retirement in 2004. Dr. Bergenholtz is an active member in a number of international dental societies, including the European Society of Endodontology, where he served as president from 2001 to 2009.

Mark A. Oliver, received Honorary Membership in the AAE. A graduate of Phillips University in Enid, Okla., Mr. Oliver joined the staff of Tulsa Dental Products, Ltd., in 1989, serving as chief executive officer until 1991. At that time, he became deeply involved with the Endodontic Opinion Leaders Program and led the Tulsa Dental Education and Industry Relations Program. He was the chair of trustee advisors for the American Fund for Dental Health from 1993 to 1994. In this capacity, he became the first nondentist trustee for the AAE Foundation Board of Trustees, serving two terms on the Board. Mr. Oliver is currently director of industry relations for DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties, traveling worldwide on behalf of DENTSPLY. He resides in Ketchum, Okla.

John T. McSpadden, D.D.S., received the prestigious President’s Award, which has been bestowed only six times in the award’s history. It is reserved for the rare member who has uniquely participated in the AAE by working behind the scenes. A highly regarded intellectual and inventor, Dr. McSpadden is considered the father of rotary endodontics. His recent textbook, Mastering Endodontic Instrumentation, represents a culmination of Dr. McSpadden’s intellectual curiosity weaved with his engineering background to reflect an evidence-based approach to the principles of endodontic instrumentation. Though he is retired from private practice, Dr. McSpadden continues to write, lecture internationally and conduct research in his ongoing efforts to advance the specialty of endodontics.

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About the American Association of Endodontists
The American Association of Endodontists, headquartered in Chicago, Ill., represents more than 7,200 members worldwide, including approximately 95 percent of all eligible endodontists in the United States. Endodontics is one of nine dental specialties formally recognized by the American Dental Association. The AAE, 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.

Photos available upon request by contacting the AAE at communications@aae.org.