Dentistry's Distinction Award Winners!

These prestigious awards are given to those who are leaders in their field, live the values of the School through their dedication, and are making the human experience and life’s journey better for others.

The 2013 Dental Alumni of Distinction Awards recipients include:

Kenneth H. Wright, DDS
Honorary Alumni of Distinction Award
 A much loved professor, Dr. Wright has been described as “a highly regarded periodontist, a popular and inspiring teacher, a man of enormous consciousness and sense of personal responsibility, and a creative and resourceful innovator.” Amongst his many accomplishments, Dr. Wright created the Dental Outreach Community Services (DOCS), a program which for five years has been providing free dental care to people in the City of London who are less fortunate and don’t have access to dental insurance.

James E. Jean, DDS’73
Alumni of Distinction Award
“Absolutely humbled” by the recognition, was one of this year’s recipients Dr. James (Jim) E. Jean, DDS ’73. However, as you learn more about his commitment to Schulich Dentistry and its students, it is immediately obvious that he is most deserving. Upon graduating, Dr. Jean opened a dental practice, and a year later he went back to the School. This time, however, he wasn’t the student, but the teacher, serving in the role as a part-time pre-clinical instructor. That was 40 years ago. This fall, he returns to the clinic. In addition to teaching on the clinic floor, Dr. Jean, now an assistant professor, mentors 12 to 14 students annually.  

L. Suzan Ekim, DDS’01
Young Alumni Award of Distinction
If you ask Dr. Harinder Sandhu, Director and Vice-Dean, Schulich Dentistry, he will tell you “whatever Dr. Ekim touches turns to gold,” and he’s not wrong. After graduating at the top of her class and receiving the gold medal of distinction, Dr. Ekim completed her Orthodontics Residency Specialty Certificate and master’s degree in Science at the University of Minnesota. Holding strong to the value of Schulich Dentistry of social responsibility this young alumnus is well-known amongst the orthodontic community and an educational leader in her field. Dedicated to giving her patients the beautiful smile they deserve, today she runs a successful practice and is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Minnesota teaching orthodontic care of cleft lip/palate and surgical orthodontic patients.

Congratulations to all of our esteemed winners!