News

At the American Association of Orthodontics' annual session in Orlando, Florida, Arjun Kumar, DDS ‘23, a third-year orthodontics resident at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, won first place in the prestigious Joseph E. Johnson Clinical Award competition. Established in 1980, the award is one of the AAO's highest honors, given annually to recognize presenters for their excellence in clinical research and presentation.

Symbolizing their commitment to the profession of dentistry and compassionate patient care, the School of Dental Medicine’s Class of 2029 officially received their white coats during the annual White Coat Ceremony on April 10 in Recital Hall at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts.

Forty-six students will begin treating patients in the Dental Care Center at the end of their first year before assuming a full patient schedule this fall. Stony Brook remains one of only a few dental schools in the country to provide patient care experiences during students’ first year.

Nadia Laniado, DDS, MPH, MS, director of community dentistry and population health at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital, and associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was named the 2026 recipient of the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (SDM) Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Advancing innovation and expanding the frontiers of dental science, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (SDM) held its annual Research Symposium on March 3 at Stony Brook University’s Student Activities Center (SAC). A record 54 presenters — including undergraduates, dental students, residents, as well as master’s and PhD candidates — shared original research spanning a wide range of disciplines.

For the School of Dental Medicine’s Class of 2026, their future came into focus with another strong showing in the Postdoctoral Residency Matching Program. This summer, the soon-to-be dentists will continue on to residencies in five states, training in general dentistry, dental anesthesiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics. Additionally, two graduates are excited to begin their careers in private practice.

Patricia Swanson, DDS, Prosth ’18, clinical associate professor in the Department of Prosthodontics and Digital Technology, was named editor-in-chief of the ACP Messenger at the 2025 American College of Prosthodontists board of directors meeting in August. The publication has published articles covering current prosthodontic trends, challenges and successes for more than 50 years. The first issue under Swanson’s leadership was published this month.

Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine hosted its second Alumni Class Reunion on November 8, welcoming graduates back to the north shore of Long Island to celebrate their milestone anniversaries. The event included an afternoon barbecue, a question-and-answer session with current students, and a tour of the school led by Dean Patrick Lloyd, DDS, MS. The day concluded with a cocktail hour and sitdown dinner at the Waterview at Port Jefferson Country Club.

Eric Zhang, DDS ’23, a third-year resident in the Advanced Dental Education Program in Orthodontics at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, was awarded first place in the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists (NESO) Cup Poster Competition as the organization’s annual meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Ushering in a new chapter in pediatric dentistry outreach, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (SDM) held a special ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Mobile Dental Care Center (MDCC). Its creation resulted from a $750,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to continue the school’s commitment to delivering comprehensive dental care and oral health education to underserved youth throughout Long Island.

As part of its continued commitment to help address the dental school faculty shortage across the United States, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine celebrated its third annual Dental Educators Day event on the South Campus on October 6.