Congratulations to these leaders in the University of Florida School of Advanced Dental Sciences who received awards or prestigious appointments recently: Calogero Dolce, Rodrigo Neiva and Roberta Pileggi.
Calogero Dolce, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor and chair of the UF department of orthodontics, was appointed a commission site visitor by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) for the 2015-16 year. CODA develops and administers the dental education standards that foster continuous quality improvement of dental and dental-related educational programs.
Dolce was also invited to become a board examiner by the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO), a role he has served in the past for ABO. The ABO is a leader in orthodontic board certification and sets the standards of care for excellence in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. The ABO examiners evaluate an examinee’s suitability for certification or certification renewal, and also are expected to serve as role models representing the ABO.
Dolce, a Diplomate of the ABO, has been with the UF College of Dentistry for 19 years and was appointed department chair in October 2013. He earned his dental degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his certificate in orthodontics from the UF orthodontics program in 1993.
Rodrigo Neiva, D.D.S., M.S., was recently appointed as a board examiner for the American Board of Periodontics (ABPerio) and was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists (ACD) during their annual meeting in November, held in Washington, D.C.
The ABPerio has a mission of advancing the art and science of periodontics, and elevating the quality of periodontal care through the examination, certification and recertification of periodontists.
Established in 1920, the ACD is the oldest major honorary organization for dentists and is considered the “conscience of dentistry.” Its members exemplify excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society.
Neiva joined the UF College of Dentistry in July 2010 as the graduate program director and clinical associate professor. He previously was on faculty in the University of Michigan department of periodontics and oral medicine. Neiva earned his dental degree in 1997 from Vale do Itajai University, in Itajai, Brazil, and his M.S. in periodontics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2004. He is also a member of the Osteology Expert Council.
Roberta Pileggi, D.D.S., M.S., was also inducted as a Fellow of the ACD during their November 2015 annual meeting. She also serves as a member of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) as the district III director, representing Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. In that capacity she serves as the board liaison to the AAE Educational Affairs Committee.
The AAE board is the policy-making body for the association and are expected to serve and represent the rest of the AAE membership.
In April 2015, Pileggi’s team, Soteria Analytics, came in second place in the Empowering Women in Technology Startups (EWitts) Fellowship Program. The competition was an investor pitch for commercializing a portable chemical sensor that detects breast cancer in exhaled breath.
Pileggi, has been the director of the UF Graduate Endodontics Program since July 2009 and, in January 2010, was appointed chair of the UF department of endodontics. In July 2013 she was appointed associate dean for advanced and graduate education and director of the UF School of the Advanced Dental Sciences (SADS). She received her dental degree at University Paulista in Brazil. She completed both her master’s degree and certificate in endodontics at the University of Maryland College of Dental Surgery.
In 2005, she completed a fellowship in education at Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas at Houston. Pileggi has received numerous faculty awards including the Edward Osetek Award given by the American Association of Endodontist. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics.