The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry, located in Lincoln, held a White Coat Ceremony recently to welcome 47 new dental students and 24 dental hygiene students into the dental profession.
The ceremony is a rite of passage, as well as a call to achieve the high standards set forth in the profession, said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry. A white coat frequently shows a certain professional pride, designating men and women who have earned the right to wear it and are proud of the profession they represent.
The class make-up consists of 31 dental students from Nebraska, 14 from states representing Illinois, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wyoming, Missouri, and two others representing Ghana and India. Of the 24 dental hygiene students, 21 are from Nebraska and 3 others representing Wyoming, Iowa and Kansas.
Below are hometowns and student names.
Dental students
Bellevue: Gavin Trogdon and Kristi Zoucha
Bertrand: Jonathan Sand
Clarkson: Kyle Papousek
Curtis: Daniel Woodburn
David City: Mark Griffiths
Fairfield: Bronsen Schliep
Gordon: Shelby Schmidt and Christina Goodsell
Hastings: Richard Sherman, Melissa Brenneman and Kayla Risma
Lexington: Thomas Alexander
Lincoln: Phuong-Thao Dao, Jodi Day, Cristina Schroder, Stephen Peterman, Christopher Fries, Katherine Garcia, Daniel Tylka, Rachel Williams and Elizabeth Glenn
Norfolk: Patricia Martens
Overton: Rachel Benson
Omaha: Thomas St. Germain, Gary Lehn and David Montgomery
Pawnee City: Bobbi Laun
Ralston: Brian Penly
Sidney: Micaela Raasch
South Sioux City: Jennifer Gotch
Joliet, IL: Brian Bain
Manhattan, KS: Rawley Hungerford
Maplewood, MN: Kelly Plote
Blue Springs, MO: Emily Raveill
Wahpeton, ND: Melissa Moutray
Grand Forks, ND: Maren Hall
Colman, SD: Angela Pfeiffer
Sioux Falls, SD: Joshua Barta, Michael Duffy and Anne Pillar
Tripp, SD: Amanda Bakke
Collegedale, TN: Toby Imler
Wheatland, WY: Chase Pruitt
Basin, WY: Chadron Schell
Accra, Ghana: Daniel Mensah-Boateng
New Dehli, India: Namita Sakhuja
Dental hygiene students
Aurora: Kate Oswald
Bellevue: Sara Anson and April White
Bridgeport: Tonya Guerrero
Clarkson: Rebecca Svehla
Cozad: Amanda Randecker
Fordyce: Carmen Thoene
Fort Calhoun: Stephanie Benne
Fremont: Sara Schmaderer
Gering: Nicole Fritschie
Lincoln: Sarah Danekas, Stacy Mihulka, Abigail Wismer and Lauren Reichenbach
North Platte: Jacquelyn Bandy, Sarah Aden and Jennifer McCall
Omaha: Jennifer Ziemba
Papillion: Mary O’Brien
Tecumseh: Monique Kruse
Valentine: Kathryn Brill
Henderson, IA: Jodi Rieken,
Arkansas City, KS: Jessica Yoachim,
Wheatland, WY: Kelani Bosch,
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology, ophthalmology and arthritis. UNMC’s research funding from external sources is now nearly $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state.