Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), the national honor society in the field of dentistry, has presented Patricia Swanson, DDS, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics and Digital Technology at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (SDM), with its Charles Craig Teaching Award.
Each year, the national award acknowledges a dental educator who has integrated innovative teaching techniques in promoting the art, science and literature of dentistry. In order for candidates to be eligible, they must be a full-time dental educator at a dental school that is accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation, and must have been a dental educator for no more than seven years.
“It is a great honor to have been nominated by my colleagues at the School of Dental Medicine,” said Swanson, who also serves as director of predoctoral prosthodontics at Stony Brook. “OKU has a long history of excellence and I am proud to represent Stony Brook University at the national level.
The award is named for Dr. Charles Craig, a longtime practitioner and educator at the University of California School of Dentistry. Craig also served as president as well as secretary treasurer of the OKU, and he fostered excellence in the profession through his affiliation with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and as editor of the Journal of Dental Education.
“I congratulate Dr. Swanson for this incredible honor for which she should be so very proud, as we are as a school,” said Patrick Lloyd, DDS, MS, dean of the SDM. “We take great pride in the quality of education and experience that our students receive at Stony Brook, and Dr. Swanson, as well as so many faculty and staff members, do a wonderful job in equipping them with the requisite skills and knowledge to be successful in their careers.”
Swanson becomes the third Stony Brook faculty member to have been bestowed the prestigious award. In 2014, Dolores Cannella, PhD, associate dean for education, was acknowledged for her accomplishments in behavioral sciences curriculum design and implementation, as well as interprofessional education. Then in 2015, Maria Cristina Cordero-Ricardo, DMD, MSc, MPH, past director of predoctoral pediatric dentistry in the SDM’s Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, was honored with the award.
In the fall, Swanson was named Junior Educator of the Year by the American College of Prosthodontists. She joined the Stony Brook faculty in 2018, teaching preclinical and continuing education courses, as well as caring for patients in the school’s affiliated faculty practice. Swanson graduated summa cum laude from University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, and proceeded to earn her Certificate in Prosthodontics at Stony Brook.
