Award of Excellence

NYU Excellence Photo

This award honors the spirit of volunteerism by recognizing one student from each dental school for achieving superior levels of participation or leadership in service to other students, their school or local community.

Nominees are selected by faculty and staff at each dental school.

Award Criteria

Nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Predoctoral member of ASDA in good academic standing
  • Participation or leadership in extracurricular school activities and/or service to the local community
  • Active participant in furthering the cause of organized dentistry

Submissions for the 2024 Award of Excellence are now closed. Please contact membership@asdanet.org with questions.

2024 Award of Excellence Recipients

DISTRICT 1
Hannah Kilbride, Boston ‘24
Sarah Nevolis, Connecticut ‘25
Kadriye Elizabeth Hargett, Harvard ‘24
Kristin Biggs, New England ‘24
Samantha Anne L. Rivera, Tufts ‘24

DISTRICT 2
John Anthony Lepore, Buffalo ‘24
Adam Mucci, Columbia ‘24
Tyler Chung, NYU ‘24
Maria Amged Salib, Rutgers ‘24
Gil Barahman, Stony Brook ‘24
Jordan Sahawneh, Touro ‘25

DISTRICT 3
Brandon J. Shim, Maryland ‘24
Aymee Roman, Pennsylvania ‘24
Regina K. Munsch, Pittsburgh ‘24

DISTRICT 4
Phuquain H. Morales, East Carolina ‘24

DISTRICT 5
Heath Padgett, Alabama ‘24
Grace T. Ishak, Florida ‘24
Elyssa Okken, LECOM ‘24
Katherine Elizabeth Burkett, Louisiana ‘25
Caroline Russell Carmichael, Mississippi ‘24
Mary Wick, Nova Southeastern ‘24

DISTRICT 6
Claudia Larochelle, Detroit Mercy ‘25
Haley Schultz, Michigan ‘24
Joseph Linser, Ohio ‘24
Patrick M. Coulter, West Virginia ‘24

DISTRICT 7
Brianna Nicole Gill, Louisville ‘24
Tyler Guist, Marquette ‘24
Madeleine Walters, Midwestern-IL ‘24
Donald Thompson II, Southern IL ‘24

DISTRICT 8
Maya Chuppe, Creighton ‘24
Arshi Munjal, Iowa ‘24
Destiny Mills, Kirksville ‘24
Brady Hartman, Minnesota ‘24

DISTRICT 9
Danny Carney, Colorado ‘24
Rebecca A. Hobbesland, Houston ‘24
San Antonio, Elizabeth Liu ‘24

DISTRICT 10
Zaki Minas, Arizona ‘24
Eduardo D. Pais III, Las Vegas ‘25
Caitlin Kurz, Midwestern-AZ ‘24
Diana Zhen, Roseman ‘24
Cassidy Hiné , Utah ‘24

DISTRICT 11
Robert Zhou, Pacific ‘24
Isabelle Tseng, San Francisco ‘25
Michael Riley, Southern California ‘24

2023 Award of Excellence Recipients
DISTRICT 1
Andrew DiBenedetto, Boston ‘23
Maayan Schmidt, Connecticut ‘24
Jessica Murphree, Harvard ‘23
Sophia Hall, New England ‘23
Giang Nguyen, Tufts ‘23

DISTRICT 2
Andrew Hanna, Buffalo ‘23
Cordelia Chan, Columbia ‘24
Mariam Ahmad, New York ‘23
Saloni Patel, Rutgers ‘23
Lauren Toledo, Stony Brook ‘23
Sameer Bilal, Touro ‘23

DISTRICT 3
Wongelawit Tadesse, Maryland ‘23
Andrew Casey, Pennsylvania ‘23
Matthew Palmer, Pittsburgh ‘23
Ae Kwon, Temple ‘24

DISTRICT 4
Joel Anil, East Carolina ‘23
Caylor Mark, Georgia ‘23
Van Nguyen, Lincoln Memorial ‘25
Aparicio Peggins, Meharry ‘23
Lauren Bunch, North Carolina ‘24
Sammy Huynh, South Carolina ‘23
Quinnie Phan, Virginia ‘23

DISTRICT 5
Bryna Martinez, Alabama ‘23
Cameron Kocan, Florida ‘23
Tiffany Morgan, Louisiana ‘24
Nicklaus Blue, Mississippi ‘24
Delaney Valdes, Nova ‘23
Valeria Bravo, Puerto Rico ‘23

DISTRICT 6
Janith Jayatilake, Detroit Mercy ‘24
Kloanna Fetolli, Michigan ‘23
Lauren Ames, Ohio ‘23
Brittany Joseph, West Virginia ‘23

DISTRICT 7
Ruchi Naik, Illinois ‘24
Daniel Godfrey, Indiana ‘23
Anjesha Antony Alappatt, Louisville ‘23
Shuchi Patel, Marquette ‘23
Kasey Schock, Midwestern-IL ‘23
Kaitlin Carlson, Southern Illinois ‘23

DISTRICT 8
Lyndsey Herron, Creighton ‘23
Anna McNamara, Missouri-Kirksville ‘23
Kevin Marzolf, Minnesota ‘23
Kylie Sestak, Nebraska ‘24

DISTRICT 9
Daniel Carney, Colorado ‘24
Lauren Kaufmann, Oklahoma ‘23
Jesus Ojeda Pacheco, Texas A&M ‘23
Clara Kohlmetz, Texas-Houston ‘23
Zachary Nortch, Texas-San Antonio ‘23

DISTRICT 10
Jessica Camacho, Arizona ‘23
Danyalle Chun, Las Vegas ‘23
Benjamin McGiffin, Midwestern-AZ ‘23
Priscilla Leung, Roseman ‘23
Jacob Caldwell, Utah ‘23
Karen Ghatore, Washington ‘23

DISTRICT 11
Taylor Cone, Pacific ‘23
Samantha Garcia, San Francisco ‘24
Damilola Osibamowo, Southern California ‘23
Seraphina Oney, WesternU ‘23
2022 Award of Excellence Recipients

DISTRICT 1
Mark Girard Pugliese, Boston ‘22
Audrey Brigham, Connecticut ‘23
Mark Berenshteyn, Harvard ‘22
Joan Daniel, New England ‘22
Alia Hope Osseiran, Tufts ‘22

DISTRICT 2
Evan James Conley, Buffalo ‘22
Michelle Skelton, Columbia ‘22
Jonathan Tai, New York ‘22
Elizabeth Tramontana, Rutgers ‘22
Diana Kim, Stony Brook ‘22
Heather Rowlands, Touro ‘22

DISTRICT 3
Jasvir Ajimal, Howard ‘22
Ashley Reid, Maryland ‘22
Viviana Portillo, Pennsylvania ‘22
Brett Thomas Becker, Pittsburgh ‘22
Turab Rai, Temple ‘23

DISTRICT 4
Scarlett Jane Walston, East Carolina ‘22
Stephanie Jaipaul, Georgia ‘22
Kenneth Parker, South Carolina ‘22
Anne Marie Currie, Tennessee ‘22
Morgan Laurel Sabol, Virginia ‘22

DISTRICT 5
Jessica M. Mitchum, Alabama ‘22
Daria Mages, Florida ‘22
Amelia Cai Crawford, LECOM ‘22
Marco A. Gargano, Louisiana ‘23
Savannah Chandler Oldenburg, Mississippi ‘22
Lindsay Hoop, Nova ‘22
Manuel A. Perea Cuebas, Puerto Rico ‘22

DISTRICT 6
Charandeep Ghotra, Detroit Mercy ‘23
Sarah E. Kowalski, Michigan ‘22
Joseph J. Linser, Ohio State ‘24
Marissa Fletcher, West Virginia ‘22

DISTRICT 7
Brooke Wilson, Illinois ‘23
Meera R. Patel, Indiana ‘22
Ashley Wettstain DiMeo, Kentucky ‘22
Kirsten Peterson, Louisville ‘23
Melissa Sara Drab, Marquette ‘22
Kristen Farr, Midwestern-Illinois ‘22
Anastasia E. Kozal, Southern Illinois ‘22

DISTRICT 8
Kristina E. Young, Creighton ‘22
Alex Hsieh, Iowa ‘23
Hayley Mathie, Minnesota ‘22
Alexandria Thomas, Missouri-Kansas City ‘23
Hailey Speck, Missouri-Kirksville ‘22
Benjamin Kincaid, Nebraska ‘23

DISTRICT 9
Aaron Buban, Colorado ‘22
Alison Nicole Agee, Oklahoma ‘22
Erik Meckel, Texas A&M ‘22
Mary Jocelyn Nisnisan, Texas-Houston ‘22
Scott Block, Texas-San Antonio ‘22
Michelle Ortiz, TTUHSC El Paso ‘25

DISTRICT 10
Sasha Asthana, Arizona ‘22
Robert C. Bingaman, Las Vegas ‘22
Holliston Langendorfer, Midwestern-Arizona ‘22
Jonathon James Goddard, Oregon ‘23
Jonathan Wong, Roseman ‘22
Arman Farhadtouski, Utah ‘22
Peter Popek, Washington ‘22

DISTRICT 11
Alina Madgwick, Loma Linda ‘22
Maya Giannetti, Los Angeles ‘22
Patrick Gomez, Pacific ‘22
Amanda Rosenfeld, San Francisco ‘23
Emilie Hsu, Southern California ‘22
Kylee Homecillo, WesternU ‘23

Advocate Award

This award recognizes faculty or school administrators who have shown a commitment to dental students and organized dentistry.

Nominees are selected by chapter leaders at each dental school.

Award Criteria

Nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Support efforts of the local ASDA chapter
  • Demonstrate a long-term commitment to organized dentistry
  • Provide leadership and direction for ASDA chapter leaders and members
  • Promote the ideals of organized dentistry
  • Motivate new members within the school
  • Maintain a membership in the ADA, if eligible

Submissions for the 2024 Advocate Award are now closed. Please contact membership@asdanet.org with questions.

2024 Advocate Award Recipients

DISTRICT 1
Bharti Khattri Thapa, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Nadeem Karimbux, DMD, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 2
Jary Patrocinio, MA, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Maria Ambrosio, DDS, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Jeffrey Seiver, DDS, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 3
Robinson Warner, DDS, Howard University College of Dentistry
Robert Nerone, DMD, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Jo Ann Nyquist, Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 4
Valencia McShan, DDS, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 5
Grace Ishak, DMD, University of Florida College of Dentistry
Aryia Amini, DMD, GPR, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
Ginette Izquierdo, DMD, BS, University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 6
Valerie Perrine, DDS, West Virginia University School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 7
Fred Howard, DMD, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
Lizzy McGeough, Marquette University School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 9
Angel “JR” Gonzalez, DDS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 10
Laura Kadillak, DDS, Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 11
Amy Jones, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry

2023 Advocate Award Recipients

DISTRICT 1
Michelle Yee, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Donna Paolella, DMD, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 2
Raymond Miller, DDS, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
Wayne Kye, DDS, NYU College of Dentistry
Vera Tang, DDS, NYU College of Dentistry
Jeffrey Seiver, DDS, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 4
Kim Thompson, Augusta University Dental College of Georgia
Kimberley Perkins-Davis, DDS, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 5
Heather Allen, RDH, BSDH, MSHCM, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry
Aryia Amini, DMD, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 6
Dan Edwards, DDS, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
James Cottle, DDS, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry

DISTRICT 7
Reagan Saxe, BA, RT, Marquette University School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 8
Colette O'Meara-McKinney, Ed.D., Creighton University School of Dentistry
Lisa Piper, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Wendy Weimer, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 9
Tanya Sue Maestas, DDS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 10
Robert Kramer, DMD, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine - Arizona

DISTRICT 11
Janelle Palomeres, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

2022 Advocate Award Recipients

DISTRICT 1
Dr. Donna Paolella, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Joanne Falzone, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

DISTRICT 3
Dr. Kelly Holst, Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 4
Dr. Nancy Young, Augusta University Dental College of Georgia

DISTRICT 5
Dr. Edward Bradford, UAB School of Dentistry
Dr. Alex Delgado, University of Florida College of Dentistry
Dr. Dennis Youngblood, LECOM School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Ginette M. Izquierdo-Rodríguez, University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 7
Dr. Tim Treat, Indiana University School of Dentistry

DISTRICT 8
Dr. Colette O’Meara McKinney, Creighton University School of Dentistry
Lisa Piper, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Dr. Lance Godley, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry
Dr. Merlyn Vogt, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry

DISTRICT 9
Dr. Robert Spears, The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston