26 September 2025

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Celebrating Excellence in Dentistry

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At the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM), excellence is more than a standard—it’s a tradition. The CU SDM Excellence Awards honor the visionaries among us: faculty, staff, students, residents, and alumni whose dedication to education, patient care, research, and service illuminates the path forward in oral health. These honorees embody our mission, advancing dentistry with skill and compassion, and inspiring the next generation to dream bigger, achieve higher and serve with purpose.  

Faculty Awards 

Faculty Excellence in Teaching

Doug Wilson, DMD, MS

Associate Professor, Restorative Dentistry

This award recognizes a faculty member for unique instructional contributions in formal coursework to the CU SDM. 

Faculty Excellence in Student Mentoring

Shayna Sengewalt, DDS

Assistant Professor (C/T), Restorative Dentistry

This award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to student learning and professional development outside of formal coursework through advising and mentoring, and/or engaging students in the procurement of external funding and/or dissemination of research findings.

Excellence in Faculty Research Award

Chaitanya Puranik, Ph.D, MDS, MS, BDS

Associate Professor, Director of Residency Program and Predoctoral Education in Pediatric Dentistry

This annual award recognizes an outstanding investigator who is a faculty member in the CU SDM. Nominees must have a demonstrated record of nationally and internationally recognized research or creative work; must have engaged in scholarship that provides significant contributions to their profession or discipline; and must have a record of research and publication/creative accomplishment while at the CU SDM. 

Faculty Award for Excellence in Service to the CU School of Dental Medicine

Katherine Chin, DDS, MS

Associate Professor Chair, Pediatric Dentistry

This award recognizes a current CU SDM faculty for their excellent service to the SDM.

Faculty Award for Excellence in Service to the Dental Profession 

Kevin Patterson, DDS, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Sciences and Surgical Dentistry

This award recognizes a current CU SDM faculty for their outstanding service to the community and/or the dental profession.

The Michelle Brichacek Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Dentistry

Krithika Baskaran, DDS, BDS

Associate Professor Director, Advanced Standing International Student Program Restorative Dentistry

This award recognizes a current CU SDM faculty for their excellence in clinical dentistry, for direct patient care rendered, for teaching in the school clinics, or for teaching our students through the ACTS program. 

The Lonnie Johnson Specialist Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Dentistry

David Moreno, DDS, MS

Restorative Dentistry

This award is given annually to a dental specialist faculty member who collaborates across the school to provide excellent patient care and to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff, and patients.

Staff Awards

 

Outstanding Clinical Staff Award

Marilu Herrera Luna, Onsite Coordinator, and Amanda Ruvalcaba, Healthcare Manager

This award recognizes clinical staff members at the CU SDM Anschutz Medical Campus SDM clinical facilities who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to the clinical mission of the CU SDM. 

The Joshua Schwab Outstanding Administrative Staff Award

Valerie Serrano, New Patient Intake Coordinator, and Jordan Burt, Human Resources Senior Professional

This award recognizes administrative staff members in the SDM facility or SDM spaces across campus, who like Joshua Schwab have gone above and beyond their duties to improve the work environment for fellow staff members and their unit, while creating a culture of teamwork and positive influence. 

Staff Customer Service Award

Daniela Bandres Segarra, Specialty Clinic Assistant

This award recognizes a staff member who delivers excellent customer service to internal and/or external constituents.

Outstanding Laboratory Research Service Professionals Award

Erin Binne, Research Services Senior Professor

This award recognizes LRSP’s (formerly PRA) working with CU SDM investigators on the CU SDM Anschutz Medical Campus. 

 

Student and Resident Awards

Outstanding Contribution by a Dental Student

Jaidaa Elbezry and Madison O'Callaghan

This award recognizes two CU SDM student in the four-year DDS program who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment or contribution to the school through participation on committees and/or in other volunteer services, and/or who creates a welcoming, positive environment through teamwork and collaboration. 

Outstanding Contribution by an Advanced Standing Student

Saniya Bhusari, BDS

This award recognizes one CU SDM Advanced Standing student who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment or contribution to the school through participation on committees and/or in other volunteer services, and/or who creates a welcoming, positive environment through teamwork and collaboration. 

Outstanding Contribution by a Resident

Madison Hobbs, DDS

This award recognizes one CU SDM resident in the Perio, Orthodontics or GPR programs who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment or contribution to the school through participation on committees and/or in other volunteer services, and/or who creates a welcoming, positive environment through teamwork and collaboration.  

Alumni Award

Alumni Achievement Award

Les Maes, DDS

The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes CU SDM graduates who are currently engaged with the SDM in a teaching or mentoring role who have achieved professional excellence in dentistry and have substantially contributed to advancing the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. This award recognizes excellence in dentistry through the advancement of the dental profession, improvement of community health, leadership, and other contributions to the growth and accomplishments of future public health professionals.  

Congratulations to all the 2025 SDM Excellence Awards recipients. Thank you to all who nominated colleagues for these special awards, and to our Excellence Awards Selection Committee comprised of faculty, staff, and student representatives. 

Author: SDM Comms 
Source: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/