Foundation for Endodontics Names First Recipient of Anil Chandra Memorial Educator Grant

The AAE Foundation for Endodontics announced Dr Rebeca Weisleder-Urow, Clinical Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Endodontics at the Univ of Missouri-Kansas City, as the inaugural recipient of its first named Full Time Educator Development Grant (FTEDG), which honors the late Dr Anil Chandra of India who succumbed to COVID in 2021.  The Chandra FTEDG memorial award is first of its kind being named for an educator.

Dr Weisleder-Urow raises the bar for endodontic education teaching CE courses for the Univ of Texas, with special expertise in trauma, particularly managing pediatric patients.  She has saved more than just the teeth of many developing young mouths.

An international member of the American Association of Endodontics in Uttar Pratesh, India, Dr. Chandra was Dean of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics and a senior professor in the Faculty of Dental Sciences at King George Medical University in Lucknow at the time of his death.

Dr. Chandra’s illustrious career as a dental educator and endodontist includes a global network of clinicians he mentored during dental school and graduate training; numerous publications and awards; and appointments at North American universities including UCLA, SUNY, and Rutgers.  He held four patents, edited three Indian dental journals, and served extensively in volunteer leadership roles in addition to giving presentations at dental conferences around the world.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Dentistry, Dr. Chandra was a passionate advocate for advancing access to specialty training and standards of endodontic education.  He is remembered by his students as a soft-spoken, kind-hearted teacher, ever willing to help them master another dental technique. continued to make a priority of staying connected with hundreds of his students all over the globe.

The Foundation’s FTEDG, one of its most widely utilized grants, advances professional development of endodontic educators by affording qualified faculty access to leading conferences around the world to share knowledge and interact with pre-eminent leaders in the field.

The award naming was announced by incoming Foundation President Dr Margot Kusienski of Lititz, Pa., at the Foundation’s annual donor reception on April 27 at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix.  She was joined by one of Dr Chandra’s proteges, Dr Anupam Sharma of Fremont, Calif., who initiated contact with a global network of Dr Chandra’s friends, family, and students who generously wanted to honor his memory through a purposeful gift to the Foundation.

One Chandra FTEDG award will now be given annually.