Dr. Mary R. Truhlar ’84, Dean, Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine received the 2015 School of Dental Medicine Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award at the White Coat Ceremony held on April 15, 2015.
STONY BROOK, NY, April 16, 2015 - The School of Dental Medicine Alumni Board is thrilled to announce the selection of Dean Truhlar as the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Dr. Dimitrios Kilimitzoglou ’02, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of General Dentistry and president of the School of Dental Medicine Alumni Board presented Dr. Truhlar with an award at the White Coat Ceremony to commemorate this great honor. The award is presented to an alumnus who personifies the University's tradition of excellence, are renowned in their profession or life’s work, and take pride in their alma mater.
About Dr. Truhlar: Dr. Truhlar, a 1984 graduate of the School of Dental Medicine and faculty member for the past 25 years was named Dean of Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine in January 2015. Her long-term service to the School has included establishing a clinical practice at Stony Brook early in her career that continues today; developing educational programs for students and residents, including courses in geriatric dentistry and treating the medically compromised; serving as Director of the Division of Geriatric Dentistry, then in 2005 being named Chair of the Department of General Dentistry, the School’s largest department.
As Chair of Geriatric Dentistry, she oversaw pre- and post-doctoral curriculum in general dentistry, prosthodontics dentistry, radiology, dental anatomy and operative dentistry, behavioral sciences and practice management, as well as the Stony Brook University Hospital General Practice Residency Program. This residency program has been reformatted and expanded considerably over the years and now includes 20 residents and incorporates a special needs patient care program.
After receiving her DDS from the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Truhlar completed her General Practice Residency and Chief Residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, before receiving a Master’s of Science Degree in Dentistry from Marquette University and a Fellowship Certificate in Geriatric Dentistry from the Milwaukee Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She also completed a Fellowship in the American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute.
Following this training, Dr. Truhlar began her academic career at the Marquette University School of Dentistry, and then at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, before returning to Long Island to join the faculty of Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine in 1990.
In recognition of her many academic accomplishments, Dr. Truhlar has received many honors. These include being named the 2012 American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) Alpha Omega Foundation /Leonard Abrams Scholar, which recognizes a dental educator who exhibits excellence in teaching and compassion toward others and who upholds exemplary ethical and professional standards, the 2014 Woman in Dentistry Awardee of the Nassau and Suffolk County Dental Societies and now the 2015 School of Dental Medicine Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award.
Dr. Dimitrios Kilimitzoglou ’02, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of General Dentistry and president of the School of Dental Medicine Alumni Board presented Dr. Truhlar with an award at the White Coat Ceremony to commemorate this great honor.
