The 2019 Richard C. Pugh Achievement Award recipients were announced by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, or ABPD, and for the fifth consecutive year a University of Florida College of Dentistry pediatric resident is among the distinguished group of honorees.
Annikka Frostad-Thomas, D.D.S., graces the 2019 list of Pugh Award recipients, honored for scoring in the top three percent of all scores on the annual Qualifying Examination of the ABPD across the United States.
Born in Alaska, Frostad-Thomas grew up in the Seattle area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University and attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, for her dental degree, graduating with high honors. She made Gainesville and the UF College of Dentistry home for her pediatric residency from 2017-19 and is currently practicing in California.
The Richard C. Pugh Achievement Award is the namesake honor for Pugh, who was the ABPD’s Educational Measurement Consultant for 28 years before retiring in 1998.
The ABPD Qualifying Examination is the first of a two-part certification process for Diplomate status in the ABPD. The examination is designed to generate evidence toward validation of an individual’s advanced training in pediatric dentistry and must be successfully completed before registering for the Oral Clinical Examination.