Record number attend GSDM alumni reception during ADA annual conference

GSDM alumni catch up with former classmates at the School’s alumni reception held during the 2018 American Dental Association annual meeting.

Warm trade winds, palm trees, and Hawaiian shirts were the dominant themes on Friday, October 19, 2018, as more than 70 alumni, faculty and friends of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) came together for an alumni reception held during the 2018 American Dental Association annual meeting.

Dean Jeffrey W. and Mrs. Kathleen Hutter hosted the reception, which was held at the Tapa Tower, Hilton Hawaiian Village. Guests mixed and mingled, catching up with former classmates and current colleagues, as they enjoyed views of the resort from the terrace adjoining the event space, and the Hawaiian-inspired menu, which included BBQ chicken sliders served on Hawaiian sweet bread brioche and lemongrass chicken pot stickers.

In his welcoming remarks, Dean Hutter recognized the alumni and faculty from the GSDM community inducted that week into either the American College of Dentists (ACD) or the International College of Dentists, celebrating their accomplishments, leadership, and contributions to the profession. He also thanked the GSDM faculty who had traveled to Hawaii to represent the school during the ADA conference.

Finally, Dean Hutter updated attendees on the progress of the addition and renovation construction project at 100 East Newton Street. The first phase of work, which will include a new patient entrance on Albany Street and renovations to the basement and first floor, is well underway and is expected to be completed in early 2019. Right now, an average of 70 to 80 workers are on site each day, and an additional 50 to 75 subcontractors are working on the project from other locations.

David Lustbader CAS 86 DMD 86, chair of the GSDM Dean’s Advisory Board and immediate past-president of the Massachusetts Dental Society, also thanked the crowd for coming to the event and for their ongoing support for GSDM. “Efforts like the new building are only possible because of the continued support and commitment of GSDM alumni,” he said.

Gigi Meinecke DMD 88, representing the GSDM Alumni Association at the event as its president-elect also provided welcoming remarks to the attendees and stressed the importance of the addition and renovation construction project as adding value to the alumni’s GSDM diplomas and certificates. Dr. Meinecke was also inducted into the ACD earlier in the week.

The event attracted a record number of GSDM alumni, faculty and friends, as well as other notable figures in the world of dentistry, including Dr. Jeffrey M. Cole, president of the American Dental Association and Dr. Howard Zolot PERIO 85 president of the Massachusetts Dental Society. Also in attendance were a number of aspiring dentists: pre-dental students who, as attendees of the Annual Session, made a point of stopping by the GSDM reception to learn more about the school.

View photos from the reception on GSDM’s Flickr page.