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DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Dr. Gary Baker T


he Distinguished Service Award is presented to a member with a long history of exemplary service and dedication to the dental profession and organized dentistry.


“I was totally surprised,” said Dr. Baker about the award nomination by the Greater St. Louis Dental Society. “I knew there many other deserving dentists up for the award. I appreciate the honor to be among the other past recipients.”


Dr. Gary Baker is a 1969 graduate of St. Louis University. He has been actively involved in organized dentistry and has served in leadership roles his entire career. He is a past president of the MDA, the Greater St. Louis Dental Society and of his district, South County. Dr. Baker was a founding board member of MDIS, and served as secretary/treasurer for the Greater St. Louis Dental Soci- ety for eight years. He has served on various ADA Councils and Committees including Membership Retirement and Insurance Program, Annual Sessions and International Programs, and represented the ADA at both the Brazil and Germany Dental Meetings. Dr. Baker continues to serve as a member of both the MDA and ADA House of Delegates and is a surveyor for Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care for the ADA.


Dr. Baker has been published in Oral Pathology and the Journal of Oral Surgery. He taught oral surgery part-time at UMKC School of Dentistry and currently voluntarily teaches Oral Medicine and Health to Mercer Medical School students in Macon, Ga. and to medical residents in family practice at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga.


Of his efforts, Dr. Baker said he most enjoyed serving on the ADA Council of Annual Sessions and Internal Programs and the ADA Council on Insurance and Retirement Programs. “These have been my most rewarding experi- ences of participating in organized dentistry,” he said. “I made dental friends throughout the U.S. that I still visit and who visit my wife and myself.”


Dr. Baker’s commitment to the dental profession and organized dentistry is evidenced by his continued involvement in organized dentistry and in his teaching even after retirement.


When asked to share any advice for new dentists about the practice of den- tistry and about becoming involved in organized dentistry activities, Dr. Baker commented, “Participating in organized dentistry will be more awarding than you think—you will definitely get more back than you give. Challenges in dentistry will not go away. In my 42 years in dentistry, there has always been some outside source trying to interfere in the practice of dentistry. Always do what you know in your heart is right and you will be rewarded.”


Dr. Baker was accompanied at the awards banquet by his wife, Sally.


OUTSTANDING NEW DENTAL LEADER


Dr. Ros Bennett T


he Outstanding New Dental Leader Award is designed to recognize a member of the MDA who has been in practice for 10 years or less and has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities, professional and ethical conduct


and volunteer activities in their community and organized dentistry.


“By reading Dr. Bennett’s CV and seeing his numerous accomplishments, it’s hard to believe he just graduated dental school in 2007,” said Dr. Mark Zust at the evening banquet as he recognized Dr. Bennett’s many leadership posi- tions held in organized dentistry.


When asked about receiving the award, Dr. Bennett said he was honored to be nominated and especially by Dr. Nathan McGuire, an orthodontist in Cape Girardeau and a former high school baseball teammate of Dr. Bennett’s. “I think it’s a pleasant surprise to win any type of an award for volunteer work. The fact that there are many quality, young dentists in the MDA that the Board could have selected makes this award even more special.”


After graduating from UMKC, Dr. Bennett quickly began serving organized dentistry as an MDA alternate delegate for Southeast Dental Society in 2008 and 2009, and as a Delegate in 2010 and 2011. He was a member of the General Reference Committee in 2008 and has been a member of the Articles of Agreement and Bylaws Committee since. He currently serves on the MDA Dental Benefits Ad Hoc Committee and the newly established MDA Standing Committee on Dental Workforce. Dr. Bennett is the Southeast Dental Society representative to MODentPAC, is a board member of SEMODentPAC, and in 2012, will attend the ADA Washington Leadership Conference as an Action Team Leader for the MDA. Dr. Bennett also began serving on the MDIS Board of Directors in 2011.


At the local level, Dr. Bennett has served on the Southeast Dental Society Board in various officer positions since 2008: secretary/treasurer, vice presi- dent, president-elect, and lastly was installed as president of the Southeast Dental Society at age 30—the youngest president on record for the Society. Although that presidential term is now complete, he currently serves as the president of the Cape Girardeau Dental Study Club.


When asked about which one of activities would he consider most “near and dear” to him, Dr. Bennett cited the MDA Workforce Committee. “When I think of the issues facing dentistry, workforce will likely be the most important issue during my practice lifetime,” he said. “It’s an issue that has the potential to impact every dentist and patient throughout our state—which cannot be understated. We have a fantastic committee, and I am honored to be a part of it. We have a great mix of experienced dentists with a depth of knowledge and young dentists with a fresh perspective.”


Dr. Bennett feels the building of relationships has been the most rewarding experience for him as a part of organized dentistry. “As a 31-year-old ‘new dentist,’ I’m still learning about the history of the issues facing dentists cur- rently,” he said. “Fortunately, experienced leaders from our local society took me under their wing and helped me understand the importance of organized dentistry. Those mentors are the reason I am involved in organized dentistry today.”


He would love to see dentists become more active in organized dentistry to ensure preservation of the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship and so that dentists can continue to set the standard of care in the world. “We can’t sit back and expect that our profession will remain great. The practice of den- tistry is under constant pressure from outsiders,” Dr. Bennett said, and went on to encourage new dentists to get active immediately. “The legislation of today will affect how new dentists practice for the next 30 years. Make your voice heard because we are the future of dentistry.”


Aside from the many efforts he volunteers for in organized dentistry, Dr. Ben- nett also participates in various community activities and programs ranging from being the Host of the “Ask Your Doctor” television show to providing screenings and fluoride applications in local elementary schools, all while remaining a devoted husband and father to young children. Dr. Bennett also manages to find time to be an outstanding dentist and was awarded


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