Academy of Operative Dentistry Award of Excellence

Dr Thomas G Berry

It is indeed a great honor for the Academy of Operative Dentistry to present the Award of Excellence this year to Dr Thomas G Berry. Tom continues to have an incredibly productive life as a teacher, scholar, practicing dentist and colleague and has served the Academy of Operative Dentistry in many roles in which he has been an essential part of our history together.

Tom graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1961 and served two years in the United States Air Force Dental Corps. Following that, he returned to Kansas City and opened a private practice. Soon thereafter, he was offered the opportunity to begin his teaching career with an appointment at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics.

In 1970, he accepted a position at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and spent the next nine years there teaching in Restorative Dentistry until he was named Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry in Denver. In addition to administrative duties, Tom was involved in teaching both operative dentistry and fixed prosthodontics at CU. In 1988, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas-San Antonio Dental School as Chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry, where he was responsible for operative dentistry, fixed prosthodontics and esthetic dentistry curricula. After 12 years, Tom retired from the School of Dentistry-San Antonio and returned to Denver, where he began teaching anew in the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Colorado.

Tom's career not only involves teaching excellence to his students in the classroom, laboratory and clinic, but also to publishing appropriate literature that contribute new knowledge to the art and science of dentistry. He has published more than 100 abstracts, articles and textbook chapters and has presented numerous invited papers at national and international meetings. He has lectured at numerous sites inside and outside the United States.

Tom has served our profession in many roles, not only as a committeeman and officer in our own Academy, having served as President in 1995-96, but also as Chair and Co-chair of the Section of Academic Deans of the American Dental Education Association, Chair of the Operative Dentistry Section of ADEA and as a committeeman/consultant on the American Dental Association's National Board of Dental Examiners Test Construction Committee. Tom has further served on the University Relations Committee of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and for 10 years as Assistant Secretary of the Academy of Operative Dentistry after completing his term as our President.

Tom's illustrious and distinguished career continues as he works full-time at the University of Colorado and continues to serve on committees of our own Academy. Tom is one of those leaders to whom we are all so grateful for his service and guidance and without whom this Academy and our profession would not be what they are today. It is therefore and honor for the Academy of Operative Dentistry to present this year's Award of Excellence to Dr Thomas G Berry.