Bell to Receive National Research Award

Katie Bell, who received her master’s degree in dental hygiene education from UNC-Chapel Hill in May, is the recipient of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA)/Sigma Phi Alpha Journalism Award.

Her honor recognizes a master- or doctoral-level student who has written a review or original research paper that contributes to the dental hygiene body of knowledge. The competition also has a category for baccalaureate or degree-completion candidates.

Bell will receive a plaque and $1,000 award at the ADHA Annual Session opening ceremonies in June in Las Vegas.

A selection committee reviewed and ranked the submitted manuscripts. Bell’s manuscript, “Incorporating Oral-Systemic Evidence into Patient Care: Practice Behaviors and Barriers of North Carolina Dental Hygienists,” will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Dental Hygiene, the scientific, peer-reviewed journal of the ADHA. Bell surveyed 1,665 licensed dental hygienists in North Carolina on ways in which they incorporate oral-systemic evidence into practice and the barriers they perceive in accomplishing this action. She also administered a companion survey to a cohort of N.C. dentists.

Professor Rebecca Wilder chaired a School of Dentistry thesis committee, whose members were Drs. Ceib Phillips, Steven Offenbacher and David Paquette (who has since left the school’s faculty).

Earlier this year, Bell was selected to represent UNC-Chapel Hill in the national DENTSPLY/ADHA Graduate Student Clinician Research Program competition. She will present her research in June at the ADHA Annual Session.

Bell is currently pursuing a career in academics.