Chicago (June 30, 2014) — As nearly 2,000 attendees gathered in Las Vegas from June 18-24, 2014, for the 2014 American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) Center for Lifelong Learning at the 91^st Annual Session, the ADHA proudly announced its various award winners during the event — awardees who epitomize the commitment and professionalism of those involved in the field of dental hygiene, and who are dedicated to improving the public’s oral and overall health.

Here are the 2014 award winners:

• Esther Wilkins Future Leader Award (sponsored by Hu-Friedy). Awarded to a dental hygienist demonstrating leadership within five years of graduating from a dental hygiene program.

  • Winner: Jennifer Frame, RDH, Bremerton, Wash.

• Irene Newman Award (sponsored by Colgate). Awarded for outstanding advancement of the art and science of dental hygiene.

  • Winner: Michele Rase, CDA, RDH, BS, Rochester, N.Y.

• Alfred C. Fones Award (sponsored by WaterPik). Awarded for lasting contributions to the dental hygiene profession over the last 25 years.

  • Winner: Cynthia C. Amyot, RDH, MSDH, EdD, Overland Park, Kan.

• ADHA Award for Excellence in Dental Hygiene (sponsored by Johnson & Johnson). The winners of these awards personify what those in the dental hygiene profession strive to exemplify to their patients, communities, and the world through a career dedicated to improving oral and overall health.

  • Jill Rethman, RDH, BA, Kaneohe, Hawaii.

  • Joyce Flieger, RDH, MPH, Tucson, Ariz.

• Colgate/ADHA Community Outreach Award. This award honors components that have implemented significant community outreach programs that focus on preventive oral health care.

  • Winner: Southern Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Society #12 (Jennifer Sherry, RDH, MSEd, Cambria, Ill., accepted on behalf of the organization).

• Student Member Community Service Award (sponsored by Colgate). This award recognizes a student member chapter that has demonstrated outstanding community service activities.

  • Winner: Cypress College (Cypress, Calif.) Dental Hygiene Class of 2015 (Amy Farrow and Kayla Bernard accepted on behalf of the class).

• Crest Oral-B/ADHA Award for Clinical Dental Hygienists. This award acknowledges the contributions dental hygienists make in their patients’ lives, particularly when it comes to the impact of patient education and the critical role oral health plays in total health.

  • Winner: Lisa Bell, RDH, MPH, Madison, Wisc.

• Crest Oral-B/ADHA Educator of the Year. Awarded to an educator who demonstrates excellence in teaching, mentoring and helping students achieve their goals.

  • Winner: Gail L. Aamodt, EPDH, MS, Hillsboro, Ore.

• ADHA Sigma Phi Alpha Journalism Award (sponsored by Johnson & Johnson). This award recognizes two students, one at the baccalaureate level and one at the master’s level, who have written a review or original research paper that contributes to dental hygiene’s overall body of knowledge and meets the rigorous quality standards of the ADHA’s Journal of Dental Hygiene.

  • Master’s/Doctoral Category: Christine Rogers, RDH, BA, Catskill, N.Y.

  • Baccalaureate Category: Kelli Frnka, RDH, BS, CCLS, Bellaire, Texas.

• Hu-Friedy/ADHA Master Clinician. Awarded for the demonstration of expertise in bringing clinical practice and patient education together.

  • Winner: Janet Jordan, RDH, BS, Saylorsburg, Pa.

• DENTSPLY/ADHA Graduate Student Clinicians Program. This program encourages and promotes graduate dental hygiene students to participate in and conduct dental hygiene research, and present their findings in a poster competition.

  • Third Place: Bethany Bewley, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho.

  • Second Place: Lucinda Fleckner, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

  • First Place: Kristin Dillow, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, N.C.