I extend warm holiday greetings to all of our ACD New England Section fellows!
I am honored, as your current chair for a few more weeks, to serve the ACD and particularly, our prestigious New England Model Section. My information is listed at the end of this letter for anyone who would like to personally contact me. So, now that convocation and our 2024 national Annual Meeting are completed (25 NEW fellows for New England!) and we are all back to our daily lives, I wanted to update you on some of the items you need to be aware of in our Section over the next few months. I do, however, want to give special recognition to of our 50 YEAR fellows—Drs. Max Perlitsh and Robert Wilson. Thank you for your dedication and tireless support of ACD. You truly personify the 4 pillars of the College!
First, please log in to our website and complete your profiles, and add a photo of yourself. This is now the primary way we communicate with all of our section fellows so if we do not have up-to-date information, especially emails and cell phones, you may miss out on section news and events. We also have a Facebook page --https://www.facebook.com/groups/acdne/— so please like us on that as well. It is also listed at the bottom of our website.
Second, we ask you to save the date for our second annual joint ACD/ICD Awards Luncheon at the Yankee
Dental Congress on Friday, January 31, 2025, at the Seaport Hotel Lighthouse Room from 11:30 to 1:30 PM. Please purchase your tickets online by January 23, 2025. There will be no tickets available at the event. All new fellows are encouraged to attend free of charge to again be recognized for your excellence in outstanding leadership and contributions to dentistry and society. We would also encourage all of our current fellows to attend this special event as well to see friends and colleagues and meet new ones.
We will be presenting the prestigious Thomas F. Winkler Award to Dr. William MacDonnell from Connecticut, a truly deserving member for his contributions to our profession, particularly in dental anesthesia, based on the high standards of the ACD, as well as bestowing the Outstanding Senior Student Dental Awards to one senior student in each of our five New England dental schools.
And, save the date for our Annual Meeting which is scheduled for January 14, 2025, at 7 PM by video conference (Zoom link 856 6409 4456) at which time we will be approving draft section bylaws, our new slate of officers for the 2025-2026 year as well as hearing updates on the activities of our section and national ACD. Our board wants to hear from our fellows as to your interests and needs so this is the perfect opportunity to share them with our section so that we can provide you with those programs to enhance the value of your fellowship.
Also, at the Yankee Dental Congress 2025 will be our continuing education course on Thursday afternoon, January 30, 2024 from 2:00-5:00 PM. Course 361TL -- Innovating with Integrity: Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI in Dentistry is presented by the New England Section of the American College of Dentists and features our own Drs. Meredith Bailey, Christopher Balaban, and Robert Faiella, our current national ACD President. This will prove to be a truly enlightening course in today’s market and I encourage all to sign up and attend. 3 credit hours will be awarded.
Third, please save the dates for our New England Section all-day ethics course on March 21, 2025 at the Straumann Center in Andover, MA with our current board member Dr. Adam Saltz speaking on “Ethics and Implants”.
We will also be presenting a webinar on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 “The Truth About Veracity” with speakers Catherine Sarkis, JD, MBA, and Dr. Kathryn Regalis. More information will be forthcoming to all of you.
And last, any fellow who would like to be more involved please contact me as well as our incoming New England Section Chair, Dr. Janis Moriarty ([email protected]). We have Ambassador positions available for recruitment of new fellows as well as areas in membership, communications, education, etc. where we welcome your expertise to keep our New England Model Section viable and moving forward, offering programs, materials, mentoring, and camaraderie that you find valuable, both personally and professionally.
I look forward to hopefully meeting you in Boston at Yankee Dental, to your involvement in our future, and don't forget to nominate individuals (deadline is January 15, 2025) who also exhibit those values, ethics, professionalism, and leadership that have been recognized with your fellowship award in the American College of Dentists.
Happy 2025 to all!!
Sincerely,
Maria A. Smith, DMD, MAGD
Past President, Academy of General Dentistry
American College of Dentists, Section Chair, New England
© 2025 New England Section American College of Dentists