Dental Foundation of North Carolina, Dental Alumni Association Award Recipients Recap
The Dental Foundation of North Carolina (DFNC) and the UNC Dental Alumni Association (UNCDAA) each annually honor individuals for various accomplishments. Each organization’s Board of Directors names these recipients, and later the recipients are honored in the spring.
The UNCDAA Distinguished Service Award was awarded to Scott Davenport, D.D.S ’84. The award honors exceptional service to the school and the profession of dentistry as well as a significant impact on the UNCDAA. Davenport served as president of the UNCDAA during 2009-10 and is currently serving as the North Carolina Dental Society president.
The UNCDAA Distinguished Alumni Award recipient was Dr. Frank Brantley, D.D.S. ’79. As the winner, Brantley was honored for bringing credit and recognition to the UNC School of Dentistry through significant and extraordinary contributions to the profession and the community. A longtime school faculty member, Brantley recently retired after serving as the Jim and Isabel Harrell, Sr. Distinguished Professor of Family Dentistry and the director of the school’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry program.
The UNCDAA John C. Brauer Award was presented to Al Wilder, D.D.S. ’73. This award, named for the school’s first dean, recognizes outstanding service to the school over a lifetime of service. Eligible candidates are senior faculty/administrators of the school, or alumni and friends who have made outstanding contributions to the school. Wilder has been a full-time faculty member for 37 years, most recently serving as assistant dean for admissions and predoctoral education. Active in many facets of the school and a number of professional dental organizations, Wilder has been dedicated to the school since he was a student.
UNCDAA Honorary Lifetime Membership was awarded to Mr. Paul Gardner. This honor is given to a non-alumnus who the UNCDAA Board wishes to recognize for outstanding service to the school. Gardner currently serves as the executive director of DFNC and the associate dean for advancement at the school. He most recently led the Koury Oral Health Sciences Building campaign, where privately-raised funds exceeded $7 million.
The DFNC Class of 1958 Distinguished Service Award recipient was Dr. Kimon Divaris. The award, established by the school’s D.D.S. Class of 1958, recognizes research conducted by a school faculty member that has the greatest potential for direct contributions to the practice of dentistry and dental health. Divaris was selected for his paper titled “Surface-specific Efficacy of Fluoride Varnish in Caries Prevention in the Primary Dentition: Results of a Community Randomized Clinical Trial.” In the paper, Divaris sought to determine the effectiveness of fluoride varnish application to preschool-aged children.
The DFNC Distinguished Service Award was awarded to Bettie McKaig, D.D.S. ’78. This award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to DFNC and the school through leadership, contributions made to dentistry, civic leadership and service to the community, among other qualifications. McKaig is a well-respected leader in organized dentistry locally and internationally. She’s a past-president of DFNC and the North Carolina Dental Society, and currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the school.
