Foundation Awards First Endowed Faculty Matching Grant - $100,000 Given to UTHSC-Houston
The AAE Foundation awarded the first Endowed Faculty Matching Grant to the endodontics department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston this July. The $100,000 contribution will fund the John R. Ludington Jr., D.D.S., M.S.D. Distinguished Professorship in Endodontics. The Ludington Professor will serve as the program’s predoctoral director of endodontics in the department chaired by Dr. Samuel O. Dorn, an AAE past president. The Foundation’s contribution is matched by gifts from the university’s generous alumni.
The Endowed Faculty Matching Grant was introduced by the Foundation in 2008. The award provides an annual opportunity for endodontic programs to receive up to $100,000 that can be used to support an endowed faculty position at their institution. The goal is to promote academic excellence and to help ensure that endodontics will be taught by specialists. The grant is also intended to boost the recipient institution’s fundraising capacity.
The grant is part of a constellation of other Foundation funding initiatives that include competitive grants for research, support to endodontic educators and residents, and fellowships for students and clinicians who seek to pursue a career in education.
“We hope this grant will stimulate fundraising efforts at endodontic departments across the country,” says Foundation President Dr. A. Eddy Skidmore. “Our goal is to ensure that every dental student has the opportunity to learn about endodontics from a specialist and that endodontics is a significant presence in dental schools.”
For more information on the AAE Foundation’s activities or to make a contribution, please contact Debby Rice, assistant executive director for development, at drice@aae.org or by calling 800/872-3636 (North America) or 312/266-7255 (International), ext. 3008.
Back to top
Extraordinary Generosity Drives Ambitious Giving
The recession has forced nonprofits across the country to drastically cut much-needed services and funding initiatives. But, the opposite of that dismal scenario is being played out at the AAE Foundation. In 2009, over $1 million is slated for investment in research and education.
Every accredited endodontic program in the United States and Canada and every full-time educator are eligible to receive some funding. This ambitious giving program is driven by extraordinary generosity.
The official goal of the 2008-2009 Fundraising Campaign was $900,000, but the Foundation’s Trustees set their bar higher. The Board was determined to put $1 million in new pledges back into the fund. Their dream was realized at the Annual Session in Orlando, Fla., during the last few hours of the campaign. A total of $925,000 had been raised. At the Leadership Donor Reception sponsored by SybronEndo, several big-hearted members stepped up to the plate and pledged the additional $75,000.
Their gifts will help to support the following new grants that were approved at the 2009 AAE Foundation Board of Trustees’ Annual Meeting:
- $192,396 for 15 research projects. Thirteen of the grantees are residents and two are faculty.
- An Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award to Dr. Satish B. Alapati. Dr. Alapati received a Ph.D. in oral biology from Ohio State University. He will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago’s endodontic program with a graduation date of July 2011.
- Expansion of the funding that is provided to full-time educators. Those who attend the 2009 AAE Fall Conference will be reimbursed for the registration fee and receive $500 for travel expenses.
“We are thrilled to provide this new assistance to our academic community,” says President A. Eddy Skidmore. “Educators create the future for our specialty. They deserve our enthusiastic support.”
Back to top
Foundation Welcomes Dr. A. Eddy Skidmore as its new President
At the Foundation Board of Trustees’ Annual Meeting in Orlando, Dr. Denis E. Simon III passed the presidential gavel to Dr. A. Eddy Skidmore. Dr. Skidmore, who has served as a trustee since April 2008, has a long and distinguished history of involvement in the specialty, academia and organized dentistry.
Dr. Skidmore received his D.D.S. from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and a Masters degree in endodontics from the University of Iowa. He was professor and chair of the department of endodontics at WVU for many years, and is currently an adjunct professor of endodontics at Nova Southeastern University.
Dr. Skidmore has been a member of the AAE Educational Affairs, Continuing Education, and the Honors and Awards Committees. He has also been a director of both the AAE and the American Board of Endodontics, and was elected ABE president in 1995.
He and his wife Susan reside in Boynton Beach, Fla. They are as active in their social lives as they are in the dental community and enjoy their retirement by playing tennis, traveling and having fun with their grandchildren.
“It is a tremendous honor for me to be chosen as AAE Foundation president for this year,” says Dr. Skidmore. “It is a special opportunity during these difficult economic times, and with the members continued help and generosity, we will be able to secure the resources, shepherd the funds, and distribute the wealth to our researchers, teachers and residents.”
Back to top