Prosthodontics grad students receive Clayton, Billy scholarships
The school’s Prosthodontics Graduate Program has announced two sets of scholarship recipients for 2019-20.
The Joseph A. Clayton Graduate Scholarship Award winners are:
John Bazzi, who graduated this spring with a Master of Science degree in Prosthodontics. His thesis was on “Identifying the Posterior Palatal Seal in the Fabrication of Complete Maxillary Dentures: Average Distance from the Incisive Foramen to the Junction of the Hard and Soft Palate on CBCTs.” He earned his DDS from U-M in 2017 and plans to practice in Michigan.
Anne Press, a resident in the Graduate Prosthodontics Program on track for her master’s degree in 2021. She received her DDS degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and was accepted into an Advanced Education in General Dentistry program at the Milwaukee (Wisc.) Veterans Administration Hospital before returning to Michigan to join the U-M dental school’s graduate pros program.
The Clayton Graduate Scholarship Fund/Foundation was created in 1998 to benefit residents enrolled in the prosthodontic graduate program who are working toward an accredited master’s of science degree. For 25 years, until his retirement in 1996, Dr. Clayton helped develop, direct and teach in the department’s graduate program. He knew from personal experience how important financial support can be for graduate students in dentistry. “The best gift we can offer anyone is an education,” he said. “It will last a lifetime.”
The 2019-20 Edward J. Billy Scholarship Award winners are:
Maria Alfaro, who graduated this spring with a Master of Science degree in Prosthodontics. her thesis was on “Influence of Material Manufacturing and Surface Treatment Methods on the Shear Bond Strength between Different Polyaryletherketones (PAEKs) and Veneering Composite Resin after Artificial Aging.” Dr. Alfaro earned her DDS degree from University of Costa Rica in 2010 and worked as a general practitioner for three years. In 2013, she joined the graduate prosthodontics program at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a graduate student and research scholar. She then worked in the UIC Restorative Dentistry Department in Digital Health Sciences and Technology before joining the U-M Graduate Prosthodontics Program.
Valentina Coelho, a resident in the Graduate Prosthodontics Program on track for her master’s degree in 2021. Dr. Coelho received her DDS degree from the Universidad Santa Maria in Caracas, Venezuela, then worked as a general dentist in a private practice for a year. She pursued post graduate training in Colombia and Spain before joining the U-M Graduate Prosthodontics Program.
Chenxuan Wei, a resident in the Graduate Prosthodontics Program on track for her master’s degree in 2021. After obtaining her Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2010, she undertook two years of postdoctoral training in restorative dentistry in Shanghai Jiaotong University, later pursuing her PhD in oral biology and dental biomaterials at the University of Hong Kong. Her main research areas include bio-integration, tissues regeneration and infection control of implant materials, dental filling materials, and dental ceramics.
The scholarship is named for Dr. Billy, a clinical professor of dentistry and director of Graduate Prosthodontics Program. After initially serving in the U.S. Navy, he came to the U-M dental school in 1992 as a lecturer. He was promoted to clinical assistant professor in 1993, clinical associate professor in 1997, and clinical professor in 2001, which is the same year he became director of the graduate pros program. He won numerous Instructor of the Year awards before retiring in 2006. Recipients of the Billy Scholarship must demonstrate excellence and enthusiasm in clinical and laboratory phases of prosthodontics, and must have completed substantial laboratory work, such as the processing of dentures, fabrication of bite splints and surgical templates.
