Congratulations to our first-year dental hygiene students on receiving their white coats! Your commitment to patient care begins here 🩵 🌟

Calling all UNC ASOD alumni ('15-'24). We’re conducting a research study and want to hear about how your DISC experience influenced you.

Share your story by completing the survey for a research study (IRB # 25-1653)
➡️ buff.ly/2Danovn

Your voice = better training + stronger #communitycare.

This #GiveUNC, support future generations of oral health providers by sponsoring a white coat for a D1 student.

Sponsoring a coat goes beyond covering the costs of the coat and ceremony. It shows your support and belief in our students.

Visit: buff.ly/aMOh2Ke

A smile like no other starts here.

#GiveUNC is today! Your gift helps train the next generation of oral healthcare leaders, fund scholarships, and bring care to communities across North Carolina. Give now: buff.ly/XYHd9Ro

#GiveUNC #UNCDentistry

POV: seeing your white coat as a DDS student for the first time 🌟🥼

Want to be part of this tradition? Sponsor a white coat for the next generation of oral health professionals at Carolina. Your support covers the cost of the coat and ceremony!

give.unc.edu/give/dwcc

Graduated from ASOD between 2015–2024? We’d love to hear about how your experience with the DISC (Dentistry in Service to Community) rotation has impacted your current practice.

✨ Share your insights for a research study (IRB # 25-1653)  buff.ly/9drRdG1

📅 Save the Date — GiveUNC is coming!

This is your chance to make a difference for ASOD. 🦷

Your gift supports student scholarships, community clinics serving patients across NC and 13 countries, advanced education programs, and the faculty and staff who make it all possible.

Adams School of Dentistry kicked off March in celebratory fashion — with a March Madness event for the school! Students, faculty and staff were treated to hot dogs, nachos and fixings all while the big screen played a recent UNC Men’s Basketball Duke vs Carolina game. GO HEELS!

Exciting to see Dr. Erika Silva and Dr. Laura Jacox's research featured in @UNC's The Well!

Dr. Silva's research shows corrective jaw surgery improves speech, not just appearance.

Read the full story to learn more about their work. 👇

buff.ly/LdvL9C7

Faculty and student providers saw nearly 200 patients, and children and their families received nearly $30,000 worth of in-kind care on Give Kids a Smile Day. Read more about this year's event here: buff.ly/PBuwxcH

#DentalAssistantsRecognitionWeek At UNC ASOD, our dental assistants make our clinics stronger, our days smoother, and our patient care exceptional. We have 57 DAs working in ASOD, and they are all exceptional people. Get to know a few of our team members: buff.ly/3nV8wlS

Join us for Bridge to Dentistry: Prepared for Purpose on April 25, a day to connect aspiring dental professionals with students, residents, faculty & alumni who are living out their calling in the profession. Register here: buff.ly/cgaA6IP

February = National Children’s Dental Health Month 🦷

Tomorrow, UNC Adams School of Dentistry kicks off the 2026 Give Kids A Smile Day, an annual event dedicated to expanding access to oral healthcare for children.

ASOD is proud to contribute to this mission and continue our impact each year!

At ASOD, students are prepared to lead not just in clinic, but in legislature too.

NCDS met w/ASDA students for a Lunch & Learn exploring the policies shaping dental care across our state. Key topics like patient safety, access to care, and protecting the integrity of the profession were discussed.

Each semester, 7 staff members receive the HEART award, for their dedication to the ASOD community and embodying our shared values of service & teamwork. Congrats to our awardees!

Alyssa Chelenza
Sam Taylor
Lavonda Kellam
Veronica Mungra
Eric Gilchrist
Kelly Sporleder
Ying Yu

Jennifer Judd, D3, was recently published in the Journal of Dental Education as part of her ADEA Academic Dental Careers Fellowship.

The study examines ethics & professionalism taught across US dental schools & offers recommendations to strengthen ethics education & professional identity formation.

We hope everyone stays safe and warm this weekend! ❄️ 🌨️ Due to the forecasted adverse weather conditions in our area, classes are canceled and clinics will be closed on Monday, January 26. Please continue to check for updates on weather conditions and closures via Alert Carolina.

Throwing it back to 2016 🦷✨
From then to now, we’ve been shaping smiles and future dentists every step of the way.

Happy New Year! Welcome back staff, faculty, & students after a rejuvenating holiday break.

Reflecting on our last event in Dec, it was not only a wonderful conclusion to an exciting year but also an energizing start as we gear up for 2026!

We've been reflecting on an extraordinary year at Adams School of Dentistry — 2025 was a landmark year for our school! Read our 2025 year in review highlights: buff.ly/BgP7YTl

📸 A sweet moment from last week’s hot chocolate bar—the second of three lunchtime celebrations wrapping up the 75th anniversary of Adams School of Dentistry! A big thank you to Brandwein’s Bagels for supplying the delicious hot chocolate and to our ASOD community for celebrating with us. ☕🎉

Kudos to our Zaytoun Award recipients: Evan Bellamy, DDS '26, Nishi Nair, DDS '26, Jennifer Judd, DDS '27, & Rebekah Pierce, DDS '27! This honor, funded by Dr. & Mrs. Henry Zaytoun, Sr, celebrates 3rd and 4th year DDS students exemplifying integrity, compassion, & professionalism. #DentalExcellence

We were honored to have one of ASOD's faculty members, Dr. Scott Cashion, present at NC Gov. Stein's press conference announcing a reversal of Medicaid cuts. He and other providers had urged the NC legislature to fully fund Medicaid and protect access to care across the state.

As 2025 and our 75th year come to a close, we kicked off Dec with a special event honoring our rich history. A historical timeline decorated with vintage memorabilia, published books & photos was displayed for all to see, offering a glimpse into our school’s journey over the last 75 years. 🦷✨

Congratulations to the four Adams School of Dentistry students who were recently selected for the ADEA Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program!

🌟 Anirudh Kompella, DDS ‘27
🌟 Riggan Ayscue, DDS ‘27
🌟 Kenneth Sequeira, DDS ‘27
🌟 Anna Russell, DDS ‘27

Read more: buff.ly/HB6HRci

ASOD’s Julie Marchesan, DDS, PhD, and Jenny Y. Ting, PhD, from UNC School Of Medicine, just published groundbreaking findings on the role of sex in periodontitis — a common but debilitating gum disease.

Read more: buff.ly/kPDnwgX

#Periodontitis #DentalResearch #GumDisease #UNCResearch

ASOD was transformed once again with cobwebs & skeletons for the annual Halloween party on Oct 31. Each year, students, staff & faculty understand the assignment, showing up to class and clinics decked out in elaborate costumes. View the recap of ASOD's favorite spooky holiday here: buff.ly/nc92VPT

Jessi Hill's passion involves serving her community. A veteran who served in the army as a medic, Hill now serves underserved populations as the clinical & administrative manager for the Craniofacial Center and Special Care & Geriatric Clinic.

Read more: buff.ly/3F6NAv9

Where policy meets practice. ASOD launched the Program for Oral Health Policy, designed to prepare future oral health leaders to drive change through policy, research & practice.

Meet the scholars:
Vanessa Akosah DDS ’27
Ebony C. Bowling DDS ’28
Jason Max Ginnis DDS ’28
De’janee Jenkins DDS ’28

Meet Seth Weinberg, PhD - UNC School of Dentistry Editor’s note: We have launched a new Q&A series for recently hired faculty and staff so our ASOD family can get to know them better. If there is someone new […]

Seth Weinberg, PhD, has joined ASOD as associate dean for research. “We are so excited for him to take on this role and guide our ASOD community research efforts as we pursue innovation and discovery in oral health care,” said Dean Guthmiller. Get to know more about Dr. Weinberg here