President’s Message of Gratitude

The end of the year is quickly approaching and with a lot of reflection, I have decided to share what I am most thankful for (professionally), which is being an endodontist. The reawakening happened this year when at my institution, the University of Maryland, the chance of being accepted into the endodontic residency program reached a record low of one percent. This is a good news/bad news situation. Great for the specialty, but not so great for the applicant. I hope that serves as a little reminder of how fortunate we are to be endodontists.

It has been a busy year for the Foundation for Endodontics with its Board of Trustees and loyal Chicago-based staff hard at work to ensure every aspect of the current strategic plan is addressed. Research. Education, Access to Care. The Foundation was pleased to learn through a recent survey of endodontists, that respondents knew these buzz words and associated them with the Foundation. We were equally pleased to learn that endodontists valued the Foundation and thought it was important to our specialty. We were also informed that endodontists are a little fuzzy on the details of the Foundation’s activities and finances. Respondents asked for more transparency, more information delivered in accessible ways, and better support for all endodontists. The Foundation Board of Trustees received your feedback and is organizing to address every question, comment, and feedback. Stay tuned in the months ahead for detailed answers and thank you to all respondents of this important survey!

Whether you are an endodontist running a private practice, part of a corporation, a researcher, an educator, or a military officer, you understand budgets and the cost of doing business. For the Foundation as with any elite nonprofit organization, fundraising is a daily task in which success is not negotiable. The Foundation understands that there are much easier ways for you to earn a living. But your altruism and empathy lead you to endodontics and I will never take that for granted. Every dollar of your donation to support the programs that keep our specialty relevant in dentistry and available to all patients will always be accounted for and never wasted.

To past contributors who continue giving to the Foundation, we thank you. I hope that everyone will consider remembering the Foundation this holiday season as we reflect on our blessings and seek to share our good fortune with the people we love and the things we care about.