Columbia Dental School Dean Emeritus Honored With William J. Gies Award
Allan J. Formicola, DDS, dean emeritus of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) in New York, was recognized with the William J. Gies Award for his work as an educator.
Allan J. Formicola, DDS, dean emeritus of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) in New York, was recognized with the William J. Gies Award for his work as an educator in a ceremony held during the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Annual Session and Exhibition in Long Beach, Calif. Named after Columbia biochemist and CDM cofounder, the award, which is presented by the ADEAGies Foundation, honors individuals and organizations that exemplify the highest standards of vision, innovation and achievement in oral health care.
As dean from 1978 to 2001, Formicola oversaw critical advances to the school’s educational focus and patient care, including restructuring the predoctoral curriculum and expanding New York Presbyterian residency programs to include oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry and general dentistry. In collaboration with the late James McIntosh, DDS, former director of Harlem Hospital’s dental services, Formicola helped create the Community DentCare Network in 1995 to offer care to underserved patients, and shift the focus of CDM’s dental services from primarily emergency treatment to comprehensive oral health care.
From Decisions in Dentistry. May 2017;3(5):9.