Steven K. Hedlund, DDS

I bring you greetings from the Officers and Trustees of the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Trustee from Canada, Dr. Tom Breneman. Dr. Breneman is from Brandon, Manitoba, and comes highly recommended. We look forward to working with him on the Board.

This year I have asked many of the Trustees to work on projects for the Academy. Dr. Karyn Stockwell, Georgia, and Dr. Mike Schafhauser, Minnesota, are working on a rewrite of our Policy Manual. This revision is necessary to be in line with the new bylaws that were passed by the Trustees at our Annual Meeting last year in Hawaii. Dr. Schafhauser is also working with Joe Harris on our Editorial Board.

Dr. Dan Castagna, California, and Dr. Mark Sinclair, Australia, have been assigned the large task of reviewing our Strategic Plan. A review has not been done for 5 years. The Strategic Plan sets the goals for the Academy and is an important document for our group.

Dr. Lynne Halik, New York, with help from Dr. Howard Mark, Connecticut, are working with the University of Maryland Dental School to display our Wall of Fame plaques. This impressive display has been without a home since we lost our display area at the National Dental Museum. It will be great to see our Wall of Fame in its new home.

Dr. Kiyoshi Ohura, Japan, has assisted in the selection of our Awards candidates. Dr. José Dahan, Belgium, and Dr. Ernesto Acuña, Mexico, are working very hard to foster a working relationship with FDI, as both organizations work for the worldwide promotion of oral health. A meeting between our two groups was held in Chicago. Discussions included the possibility of holding a luncheon and induction ceremony in conjunction with the FDI Annual Congress. The meeting ended with an agreement that we should continue to work together on common goals.

In my last presidential message I said that busy hands are happy hands, and as you can see by all that the Trustees have been doing, we should have some very happy hands!

I have attended two Section meetings since my last message. I attended the Georgia Section meeting, which was a magnificent affair. Drs. Karyn Stockwell and Jay Harrington showed my wife, Chris, and I what true Southern hospitality is all about. Thirteen new fellows were inducted at this meeting. I also was pleased to attend the Illinois Section luncheon and see some old friends. Past President William Kort was there and said that he plans to be in Orlando. Section Chair Dr. Christos Baboulos presented the Distinguished Dentist of the Year Award, and I was able to help induct two new members into the Academy.

I have asked Past President Dr. Charles Eller to get in touch with our Section Chair in Chile to see if any of the PFA Fellows have been affected by earthquake damage. It would be prudent for the Pierre Fauchard Academy to see if we could help in any way.

The Central Office has informed me that our recent computer problems should be over. We apologize for any inconvenience these problems may have caused. Executive Director Judith Kozal has been working to cut costs and streamline the office. Plans are being made for the Executive Board Meeting in Chicago and our Annual Meeting in Orlando with the American Dental Association.

My year as President is almost half over, and I find that I still have much to do and very little time left in which to do it. I appreciate all of the help and effort that you Fellows provide to make PFA an organization we can be proud of.

Steven K. Hedlund, DDS
President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy