Eastman Dentist Awarded for Community Health Efforts

EIOH Pediatric Dentist and Assistant Professor Lisa DeLucia, DDS, was awarded a Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Award.

The awards are named in honor of the 16th Surgeon General of the U.S., who completed his medical residency at URMC in 1972 and in 1995 received an honorary degree from the University. Satcher went on to become a leading voice in the field of public health and has dedicated his career to public health policy.

The community health improvement awards distinguish individuals who have made significant contributions to community health in the greater Rochester region through research, education, clinical services, and outreach efforts. The awards reflect URMC’s mission to continue to develop and expand university-community partnerships that support participatory research and interventions that reduce health inequalities and improve the community’s health.

The annual grand rounds address was delivered by Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, MA, CPH, professor, director of Public Health Practice and Leadership, University of South Florida. His talk, “Health Equity and Social Justice—Not Just a Walk in the Park,” preceded the awards ceremony.

DeLucia was awarded for her work partnering with Special Olympics Special Smiles, a dental screening program that addresses oral health disparities among those in the community with disabilities. She has been involved with this program since 2004 as a volunteer and was trained in 2006 to serve as a clinical director, all while in dental school. DeLucia has recruited and educated dental professionals, students, and residents in the care for patients with special needs, and is working to address gaps in care for this population. Since 2006, she has organized three to four events annually, providing oral health screenings to upwards of 200 athletes with the help of more than 30 volunteers at each event.

Other winners were Anne F. Brayer, M.D., professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics and the director of both the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship and Caroline Nestro, R.N., M.S., associate director of the Office of Mental Health Promotion in the Department of Psychiatry.