Shils Fund Hosts Social Entrepreneur Leadership Conference And UPenn Dental Student Competition At Its 16th Annual Awards Event
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PHILADELPHIA, /PRNewswire/ -- The Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovation in health care and named after the late Dr. Edward B. Shils, held its 16th annual awards ceremony and a new Social Entrepreneur Leadership conference on October 4 at the Union League in Philadelphia.
"In its 16th year, the Shils Fund is taking a new direction with our annual event, as we pursue opportunities for dental students to meet with educators and members of the dental and medical industries to discuss issues that impact entrepreneurship in health care," said Steven W. Kess, President of the Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund's Board of Directors. "Dr. Edward B. Shils was known for his relentless pursuit of innovation and change in the dental industry, and he would have loved this approach. We honor his legacy by helping build bridges to success for the next generation of health care leaders." The Social Entrepreneur Leadership conference began with Dr. Bari Levine, MPH, and founder of the Growing Smiles Foundation, who delivered the first of two keynote addresses as she shared her story of being a social entrepreneur. She was followed by Christopher Lai, a University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine student and Shils Fund/Dental Trade Alliance Scholarship winner, who shared his struggle to overcome poverty, language barriers, racism, and significant personal dental health issues to become an oral health care leader in his community. The keynote speakers were followed by an interactive panel, "The Drive for Innovation and the Potholes Along the Way," which was moderated by Julie Charlestein, President and CEO of Premier Dental Products Company. Panelists included Dr. Matilde Hernández González, Scientific Affairs Manager for Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals; Robert Mehalso, PhD, CEO & Chairman, SensoDX, LLC; Dr. Kris Volcheck, Founder, Brighter Way Institute; Fran Gallagher, CEO, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and Angel Figueroa, Chief Executive Officer, I-LEAD Charter School. The conference ended with the Shils Stars Dental Student Competition, where teams from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine's Dental Innovators, Creators and Entrepreneurs DICE program pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges led by Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. The competition results were:
The Shils Fund then held a tribute to Board Member and dental industry icon, Dr. D. Walter Cohen. The tribute was led by Mr. Bergman, who delivered remarks about his personal and professional relationship with Dr. Cohen and the impact he had on the lives of so many people. The evening concluded with an awards reception to recognize people, organizations, and programs that safeguard the oral health of underserved communities and populations and positively influence the dental community. The Shils Fund Innovator Awards, a monetary prize given to people and programs from all sectors of the health care community in recognition of their positive and bold impact on the field and their respective communities, were presented to:
The Special Recognition Award, which acknowledges people and programs for their work to improve the oral health and well-being of others, was presented to:
The Cohen-Volpe Award is given to those who have made outstanding contributions to dentistry or its allied sciences and named for two distinguished clinicians, researchers, and educators: Dr. D. Walter Cohen and Dr. Anthony Volpe. This year's award was presented to Dr. Allen L. Finkelstein, Chief Executive Officer of Bedford Healthcare Solutions, in recognition of his extraordinary lifetime achievement and leadership in the advancement of integrated dental care to ensure optimal dental health for all and for his outstanding philanthropic commitment to Social Responsibility. The Shils Meskin Award was presented to Dr. Jack Dillenberg, Dean Emeritus, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health - A.T. Still University, for his exceptional and relentless pursuit of innovation in education, public health leadership, health program development, and addressing oral health issues to ultimately improve our nation's oral health. About Dr. Edward B. Shils About The Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund, Inc.
SOURCE The Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund |
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