Over the last three years, the UW American Dental Education Association (ADEA) chapter has put in a tremendous amount of work to grow and make an impact at the district and national levels. At the 2025 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition, their hard work was recognized.
Held from Mar. 8-11 in National Harbor, MD, the yearly meeting of ADEA members and chapters brings together the brightest and most dedicated leaders in dental education.
At the meeting, the UW chapter was recognized with a Gold-level Chapter Award, given to ADEA chapters that display extraordinary efforts and performance, exemplifying the values and mission of both ADEA and the ADEA Council of Students, Residents, and Fellows (COSRF). It is the first time that the UW chapter has been recognized with the award.
“I am thrilled with the noticeable growth of our ADEA student chapter over the past few years,” said Dean André Ritter. “We are very proud of our UWSOD students, and this gold chapter award is a clear recognition of how engaged and productive they are at the national level.”
Some of the accomplishments that led to the chapters’ national recognition include:
- Quadrupling the number of student members, including pre-doctoral and residents, since 2022
- Hosting a variety of quality chapter activities and events
- Producing three ADEA national scholarship winners and one junior faculty award recipient over the past three years
- Holding leadership positions within the local district, District 10
“This national recognition confirmed our exceptional commitment to advancing dental education,” said chapter president Teddy Dong (‘25). “I have no doubt that we will keep up with the established tradition of educational excellence, professional development, leadership, and inclusivity.”
Along with his chapter presidency, Teddy has represented UW as the ADEA District 10 commissioner for the past two years. As he will be graduating in the spring, District 10 held elections for a new commissioner, and in those elections, first-year dental student Mark Yang was selected to follow Teddy as the next District 10 commissioner.
Mark also took part in ADEA’s GoDental recruitment event as the panel speaker, directly communicating with over 800 pre-dental students, representing the UWSOD.
Also at the meeting, Dr. Ivy Lin received the second Junior faculty award in school history (2010, Dr. Natasha Flake) for her passion and dedication to dental education, and Min Lin (‘25) was recognized as the ADEA COSRF Sections Liaison.
“It is an extraordinary honor to receive this national teaching award at this early stage in my career, but the most rewarding aspect of this recognition was to have been nominated by the UWSOD students in the first place,” said Dr. Lin on her award. “To know that my work has resonated with and made a meaningful impact on the education of those I am privileged to teach is the greatest reward.”