Award descriptions and criteria
Nomination form
2009 award winners

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Award descriptions and criteria

Judging of all awards, with the exception of the WDA Foundation Philanthropic Award, will be done by the WDA Board of Trustees.  The WDA Foundation Philanthropic Award will be selected by the WDA Foundation Board of Directors. All nominations must include a completed nomination form and a letter from the nominator indicating how the nominee meets the criteria and why they should be considered for the award. In addition, nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award must include a current curriculum vitae. A dentist nominated in any of the award categories must be an ADA member.

Lifetime Achievement Award

PURPOSE
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the WDA’s highest honor. It was established to recognize an individual dentist who has given time, energy and expertise to the organizations representing dentistry throughout his/her career.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a dentist who has accomplished the following:

• 20 or more years of continuous membership in the WDA
• Participation in the professional affairs of local, state, regional and/or national dental organizations
• Has made a significant contribution to organized dentistry throughout their lifetime

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than ONE recipient in any given year.

Community Outreach Award

PURPOSE
To honor an individual, a team of individuals, or an organization who has systematically provided exceptional service to the public, of a nature which reflects great credit on the dental profession.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees may be individuals or organizations who have contributed to dentistry in the “Purpose” section of these guidelines. Nominees need NOT be a dentist; however, all dentists who are nominated must be members of the WDA.

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than FIVE recipients in any given year.

Dental Care for Older Persons Award

This award was discontinued beginning with the 2010 nomination year.

WDA Foundation Philanthropic Award (new in 2010)

PURPOSE
The WDA Foundation Philanthropic Award recognizes a member of the dental community that supports the mission of the WDA Foundation.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees may have contributed to the mission of the WDA Foundation in any of the following ways:

• Material contributions to the WDA Foundation or other dental foundations
• Support of projects that provide dental care for the disadvantaged
• Involvement in WDA Foundation

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Foundation Executive Committee will select no more than ONE recipient in any given year.

Friends of Dentistry Award (new in 2010)

PURPOSE
The WDA Friends of Dentistry Award honors an entity that makes ongoing contributions to the mission of the WDA.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees may have contributed in any combination of the following ways:

• Material contributions to the WDA
• Involvement in WDA programs
• Service on a WDA committee, sub-committee or task force

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than TWO recipients in any given year.

Media Relations Award

PURPOSE
The Media Relations Award honors a dentist or team of dentists who have utilized mass communications to promote the WDA and its mission as detailed in the WDA Long Range Plan.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees must be dentists(s) who are members in good standing of the WDA.

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will review select no more than TWO recipients in any one year.

Media Awareness Award

PURPOSE
The Media Awareness Award recognizes a member of the print or broadcast media industry for demonstrating a commitment to inform and educate the general public about the importance of oral health and/or dental-related issues in Wisconsin.

NOMINEE CRITERIA

• Nominees can be an organization, individual or team.
• Nominees should serve Wisconsin residents on a local, regional and/or statewide basis

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than TWO recipients in any given year.

New Dentist Leadership Award

PURPOSE
The New Dentist Leadership Award recognizes the efforts of a WDA member dentist for significant involvement in organized dentistry at the local, state and/or national levels.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees must be dentists who have been out of dental school for 10 years or less who have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities as they relate to new dentist issues and who are members in good standing of the WDA.

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than ONE recipient in any given year.

Outstanding Leadership in Mentoring

PURPOSE
This is an award to recognize a member dentist who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in mentoring.   The recipient of this award will be forwarded as that year’s entry into the ADA Golden Apple Award in the “Outstanding Leadership in Mentoring” category.

NOMINEE CRITERIA  
The eligibility and entry guidelines for the Pyramid of Pride Outstanding Leadership Award, which are identical to the ADA’s guidelines are as follows:

• Must be an ADA (WDA) member who demonstrates outstanding mentorship ability

Nominations must include:    

• A copy of the nominee’s c.v. (not more than 3 pages)
• Supporting essay of not more than 1,500 words detailing leadership qualities, professional and ethical conduct, and volunteer activities as a mentor
• Letters of recommendation from those mentored (not to exceed 2 pages each) will be considered

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than ONE recipient in any given year.             

Outstanding Service Award

This award was discontinued beginning with the 2010 nomination year.

Political Action Award

PURPOSE
The WDA Political Action Award honors an individual, a team of individuals, or an organization that has increased member involvement on the grassroots level to further WDA legislative interests.
 
NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees must have worked to promote the WDA legislative interests in one or more of the following areas:

• Fund solicitation or contributions to WIDPAC and the Direct Giver program
• Hosting and/or attending political action fundraisers
• Participating in local campaign efforts
• Coordinating letter writing campaigns or phone trees on important issues
• Testimony on issues of concern to the dental profession

Nominees who are dentists must be members in good standing of the WDA.

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than FIVE recipients in any given year.

WDA Award of Honor (formerly President’s Award of Honor)

PURPOSE
The WDA President’s Award of Honor recognizes individuals and organizations for contributions and activities that reflect great credit on the dental profession.

NOMINEE CRITERIA
Nominees may have contributed to the dental profession in any of the following ways:

• Material contributions to the Wisconsin Dental Association
• Advancement of the art and science of dentistry
• Provision of exception service to the dental community

RECIPIENTS
The WDA Board of Trustees will select no more than FIVE recipients in any given year.

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Nomination form

Nominations for 2010 Pyramid of Pride awards must be submitted by July 15 for consideration in the current calendar year.

• Click here to download a 2010 Pyramid of Pride nomination form

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2009 award winners

Green Bay resident and pediatric dentist Dr. James L. Van Miller is the 2009 Wisconsin Dental Association Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in recognition of the significant amount of time, energy and expertise he has given to organized dentistry throughout his career. It is the WDA’s highest honor.

Van Miller joins 11 other individuals and representatives of four groups in receiving 2009 Pyramids of Pride from the 2,900-member statewide dental organization during a special banquet at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point on Nov. 13, 2009.

Van Miller has been a pediatric dentist for 37 years. During that time, he has been involved at the international, national, state, regional and local levels of the dental profession. He has held leadership posts with the International College of Dentists, American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He is a past-president of the Wisconsin Society of Pediatric Dentists.

A WDA past-president, Van Miller also served as speaker of the organization’s House of Delegates and was a trustee from its Northeast Region 2. Locally, Van Miller served on the Brown Door Kewaunee Dental Society board. As a member of the group’s Professional Relations Committee, he helped area employers make informed decisions about dental benefits by educating them about dental products and procedures.

He earned his dental degree and certification in pediatric dentistry from Marquette University School of Dentistry in the early 1970s and continues to be active with the school’s Advisory Committee.

Van Miller is committed to improving dental access in Wisconsin. He regularly contacts state legislators and provides charitable care through a variety of programs.

Community Outreach Awards for exceptional public service are awarded to four individuals and one group, including retired dentist and Oshkosh resident Dr. William Hammond. Hammond is a long-time volunteer at the Tri-County Community Dental Clinic in Appleton. A founding member of the Steering Committee, he treats patients and mentors MUSOD dental students three to four days per month at TCCDC.

Dr. Randall Moseng is an Onalaska resident and general dentist practicing in the Wisconsin communities of Holmen and La Crosse. As chair and treasurer of Citizens for Better Dental Health in Holmen, Moseng spearheaded efforts to get a local public water fluoridation referendum passed and bring fluoride’s oral health benefits to 7,000-plus residents.

State Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) has worked diligently with legislative colleagues and WDA dentists to improve dental access for Medicaid patients since his 2006 election to the Legislature. A member of the Joint Committee on Finance, Mason helps keep dental access a priority despite the current economy.

Sister Jeanne Rusch, RDH is the retired director of St. Joseph’s Medical and Dental Clinic in Waukesha. For more than a decade, she served Waukesha County residents as clinic director and a dental hygiene instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The Sheboygan County Dental Access Committee provides dental care to low-income residents through coordination and cooperation with multiple government and nonprofit agencies, the Sheboygan County Dental Society and local dentists. Some of the group’s successes include Seal-A-Smile and fluoride varnish programs at Head Start sites and a 2009 Give Kids A Smile dental access day that delivered $80,000 in charitable care to children in need.

Julie Wilk, resident of Erin, is this year’s Dental Care for Older Persons Award recipient. Wilk was a WDA Foundation’s Donated Dental Services program coordinator from 1998 – 2009. She was instrumental in recruiting 530 volunteer dentists and 120 dental labs to donate more than $5 million in charitable care to 2,000-plus patients unable to afford care due to financial hardship related to age, permanent disability or a medically-compromising condition during that time.

WKBT-TV 8 of La Crosse has earned a Media Awareness Award for its accurate, well-balanced and substantial coverage of the WDA’s first Mission of Mercy last June. The station’s many stories helped raise public awareness of the difficulty low-income adults and children face in accessing dental care.

The 2009 Media Relations Award goes to Milwaukee general dentist and South Milwaukee resident Dr. Michael Costello. As a WDA spokesperson, he uses mass communications to help raise awareness about dental access, the role of patients in choosing restoration materials and proper disposal of dental waste.

Mondovi resident and Midwest Dental CEO Dr. Jeffrey Moos is the Outstanding Leadership in Mentoring Award recipient. He has participated in the WDA – MUSOD – Pierre Fauchard Academy Mentor Program since 1994 and has developed many resources to help young dentists advance their careers.

Dr. Eric teDuits, a pediatric dentist living and working in Fitchburg, is this year’s Political Action Award honoree for his commitment to educating state and national lawmakers in both political parties on dental Medicaid access issues.

Three individuals and two project groups are receiving WDA President’s Awards of Honor for contributions and activities that reflect great credit on the dental profession.

Dr. Ezedin Sadeghi, MUSOD associate professor of dental surgical sciences and oral pathology, has authored case studies published in the WDA Journal since March 2001 demonstrating a deep commitment to helping dental colleagues build their knowledge base through the sharing of clinical information. A Milwaukee resident, Sadeghi’s 100th case study appeared in the October 2009 issue.

Prior to retiring from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Madison, C. Randy Case worked to build a collaborative relationship with the WDA and member dentists to proactively address amalgam waste disposal and reduction of mercury contamination in wastewater treatment facility effluent.

Mary Kay Orr, president of the Brown County Oral Health Partnership in Green Bay, volunteered countless hours during the last four years while helping establish this nonprofit service. OHP’s success in providing preventive and restorative dental care to uninsured children through a portable dental clinic that travels to public schools and other community locations has made it a national public health model.

The WDA Dental Home Initiative establishes a standard of care for patients as young as 1-year while providing practice-building benefits for member dentists. Recognized for their contributions to this project are Neenah general dentist and Menasha resident Dr. Steve Stoll, West Allis pediatric dentist and New Berlin resident Dr. Cliff Hartmann, Group One Marketing president and Menomonee Falls resident Rick Brandtjen and Wauwatosa resident and WDA Director of Public Relations Carol Weber.

After 18 months of planning, the WDA and WDA Foundation’s first Mission of Mercy saw 903 volunteers deliver more than $850,000 in dental care to some 1,500 patients during two days last June in La Crosse. Instrumental in organizing this inaugural, large-scale charitable dental event were Waukesha general dentist and resident Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, Brookfield general dentist and resident Dr. James Morgenroth, La Crosse oral surgeon Dr. Timothy Durtsche and his wife Susan Durtsche and Colgate resident and WDA Director of Member Services Lani Becker.

• View a listing of all past Pyramids of Pride winners

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