The UNMC community is invited to a retirement reception for Henry St. Germain Jr., D.M.D., professor of adult restorative dentistry at the UNMC College of Dentistry.
The St. Germain file
Highlights of Dr. St. Germain’s career include:
- Receiving the UNMC Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2002.
- Receiving the Dr. George W. and Jane Boos Ferguson Faculty Excellence Fellowship Award in 2005.
- Watching his son Tom, the second oldest of his four children, go through four years of dental school and graduate with a D.D.S. degree from UNMC in 2010.
- Serving as president of the Nebraska Dental Association in 2012.
- Receiving the Dr. Kenneth Batenhorst Memorial Teaching Award in 2014.
The reception will be held from 12-1:30 p.m. Friday, June 30, in Lincoln at the College of Dentistry building in the Dean’s Conference Room.
Dr. St. Germain began his UNMC career in 1995 after a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps. He retired from active duty as a captain and took on a new role at UNMC as an associate professor and director of operative dentistry. In 1997, the College of Dentistry leadership team conducted a national search for a new chairman of the Department of Adult Restorative Dentistry.
“Turns out they didn’t have to look very far — I was right here,” Dr. St. Germain said. He served as chairman for 16 years before stepping down in 2013 to focus on teaching, scholarly writing and research.
Since then, Dr. St. Germain has enjoyed being more involved in patient care and in student research projects. One of the hardest parts of retirement will be saying goodbye to his patients at University Dental Associates, a private faculty practice within the College of Dentistry.
“I have some patients I have been seeing for 20 years. I’ve seen their families grow up,” he said. “One of my patients is 101 years old, and I just recently did some crowns for him.”
He estimates he has mentored about 25 student research projects over the years, several of which have gone on to win prestigious research awards at national meetings.
“Mentoring students has been a big part of my academic career that I will miss,” he said. “I have really enjoyed working with the students on their projects, and I will miss the research endeavors.”
In retirement, Dr. St. Germain plans to spend more time with his wife, Ellen, and their four children and seven grandchildren. He also looks forward to traveling and doing more things for himself, like getting outside and riding his bike more often. He hopes to continue working with UNMC dental students in some capacity in the immediate future.
Congratulations on your retirement Dr. St. Germain!
Are we related? Always proud when family does so well. St.Germains are pretty cool! Handsome too!
Hearty Congratulations, Henry, on your retirement. I so enjoyed working with you since your arrival at UNMC COD and sharing the challenges and triumphs of administration. Thank you for your dedication and lasting legacy.
I worked with Dr. St. Germain in the U.S. Navy. He was always kind and knowledgeable.