08 April 2025

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Dental Assistant wins H.E.A.R.T Award

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Helping people is second nature to Terri Smith. She is soft spoken but extremely passionate about her work at Adams School of Dentistry where she currently serves as a lead dental assistant in the Dental Faculty Practice. This passion for service and genuine love of people led her to be nominated and win one of the school’s most prestigious service awards, the H.E.A.R.T award.

The H.E.A.R.T (“Helping Everyone Achieve Results Together”) award recognizes staff whose contributions to the ASOD community have been substantial and who embody the shared values of service and teamwork.

Smith has had a lengthy career at UNC. She worked for Student Health Clinics for 19 years and has been a part of ASOD for 12. She came to UNC after hearing about the great benefits and family atmosphere. She stays at ASOD because of her love for dental assisting.

Patients and their unique stories are the favorite parts of Smith’s job. She recalls a patient who lost several front teeth in an accident and was self-conscious about her appearance. She assisted the provider with the bridge and implants, and the patient was so pleased with the outcome that she burst into tears and thanked Smith with a big hug.  

She was shocked when she heard she had won an award. Her supervisor, Sabrina Evans, was not surprised at all. Evans counts Smith as the person on the team that everyone goes to with questions. “She truly deserves recognition because she is always reliable and never hesitates to show up. She never says no; if she’s unable to do something, she’ll find help to ensure the task is completed, “Evans said.

Smith loves spending time with her daughter and three granddaughters. She is currently teaching her granddaughters, ages 4, 9 and 9 to sew. She also loves to read mystery novels and go biking. Her most recent biking accomplishment is completing a six-mile tour. Smith is looking forward to working toward a new biking goal of 12 miles.

Source: https://dentistry.unc.edu/