CHICAGO – Carla Y. Falcon, D.D.S., M.D.S., is the recipient of the Foundation for Endodontics 2016 Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award. Designed to encourage a career in endodontic academics, the Educator Fellowship Award provides $250,000 over five years to individuals who commit to a minimum of five years of teaching.
"Thanks to generous support from our sponsor, Edge Endo, the Foundation is proud to award our flagship grant for 2016 to Dr. Falcon," said Foundation for Endodontics President Dr. Peter A. Morgan. "Dr. Falcon has shown great commitment to the specialty of endodontics and as an educator, will instill in her students the critical thinking needed for successful endodontic diagnosis and treatment."
Dr. Falcon is entering her second year as an assistant professor in the Department of Endodontics at Rutgers, where she also completed her dental degree and endodontic training. Dr. Falcon applies her critical mind and bachelor's degree in engineering to endodontics regularly; she recognizes that understanding the biological rationale for endodontic treatment is as important as clinical expertise.
"This is what excites me most about education," Dr. Falcon wrote in her fellowship application. "Fostering and developing the philosophy and methodology of endodontic treatment that the student will take forward beyond graduation and that will continue to govern their endodontic therapy during their dental lifetime."
Dr. Falcon's strong interest in teaching was evident throughout her education as she tutored in the campus writing center during her undergraduate years and worked as a clinical floor instructor in her residency. As the Edge Endo Endodontic Educator Fellow, Dr. Falcon will be able to balance her dream of a career in full time academics with the financial practicalities of her life.
"Edge Endo is excited and humbled to know that Dr. Falcon was chosen as the 2016 recipient of the Foundation for Endodontics Educator Fellowship Award," said Edge Endo CEO Dr. Charles J. Goodis. "Dr. Falcon embodies the enthusiasm that I felt, and still feel, in my endodontic practice. We salute her in her on-going teaching efforts and look forward to a long relationship with the Foundation for Endodontic Educator Fellowship Awards."
Since its creation in 2001, the Foundation for Endodontics' Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award has recognized endodontic educators and the critical role they play in strengthening the specialty. A list of past recipients is available at https://www.aae.org/aae-foundation/funding/fellowship-award-recipients.aspx.
