Welcome DDS Class of 2018!
August 2015 - On August 18, the School of Dental Medicine hosted a welcome barbecue for the DDS Class of 2018 at the Stony Brook Yacht Club. Interim Dean, Dr. Mary Truhlar, and Associate Dean of Education, Dr. David Paquette, congratulated class members for their academic achievements and thanked the students for selecting Stony Brook for their dental education. Alumni Board President, Dr. Dimitrios Kilimitzoglou (Class of 2002), challenged the students to carry on the School’s legacy for excellence. Twenty-seven faculty and staff welcomed the first year students at the event.
The Class of 2018 includes 42 students (23 women and 19 men) with an overall mean college grade point average of 3.7 and a dental aptitude test average of 21. The class was selected from an applicant pool of approximately 1,200. Students in the Class of 2018 are the first recipients of the revised “LEARN” biomedical science curriculum that features active learning strategies and an organ systems-based course structure. To prepare them for this revised curriculum, first year students participated in a two-week orientation called, “Transition to Dental School.” Orientation activities included sessions on learning styles, team-based learning, academic integrity, professionalism, mindfulness meditation, cultural competency and communicating science.
