The Anthony Westwater Jong
Memorial Community Dental Health Student Award
Established in 2006 in memory of the late Anthony Westwater Jong in recognition of his commitment to community-based dental public health, his strong and highly acclaimed mentoring of students, and his emphasis on the importance of state, local and community based public health action.
The Oral Health Section will present the 4th annual Anthony Westwater Jong award to Matthew A. Swan at the APHA 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia, at the Oral Health Awards Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
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Matthew A. Swan |
A senior student at the School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco, Matt has a profound interest in improving the oral health of Latino children. Prior to dental school, Matt spent two years in Mexico. He speaks Spanish fluently. His project is a community-based dental public health study of Latino farm worker fathers and their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding their children’s oral health. Matt has overseen this project from its inception to the creation of a manuscript that he is submitting for publication. It would be the first article to contribute knowledge about what Latino fathers know and do with respect to their children’s oral hygiene. Matt originated the idea for this project under the direction of Dr. Judith Barker, who was doing related work with Latino mothers in the same town of Mendota, California. Knowing that Latino fathers are very influential in family decision-making, Matt found it interesting that not a single study had focused on Latino fathers and their understanding of oral hygiene. He recruited participants into the study and obtained written informed consent. As he states: “Mostly likely because of gender concordance between interviewer and interviewee, the fathers were very easily approached and openly shared their experiences.”
In addition to his research, Matt’s scholarship and leadership has been recognized with awards by a variety of organizations including the Osher Scholarship, the Tylenol Scholarship, and the Academy of LDS Dentists Scholarship. Matt currently serves as Class 2010 Vice-President, the Children’s Health Hut Dental School Coordinator, the Elders Quorum President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the President, UCSF Chapter, Academy of LDS Dentists. Matt’s community involvement includes the coordination of 12 local health fairs for children and their families in the San Francisco area and continued participation in UCSF’s 2007-2009 Give Kids a Smile program where he provided oral screenings, prophys and sealants. Matt’s other interests include golf, basketball, tennis, guitar, singing and reading.
About the Jong Award
The Pre-Professional Award, sponsored by Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recognizes an outstanding community-based research or service project of an oral health nature carried out by a pre-doctoral dental student, or a dentist who has graduated within the preceding 12 months from an ADA-accredited dental school, or a dental hygiene student, or a hygienist who has graduated from an accredited school of dental hygiene in the United States within the preceding 12 months. The application of community-based dental public health principles to the design of the project must be clear. Up to two Pre-Professional Awards will be granted each year.
The recipients will receive: a $200 cash award, a copy of Jong's Community Dental Health, 5th Edition, a one-year membership in the APHA Oral Health Section, the registration fee to attend the APHA Annual Meeting, a plaque to be presented at the Oral Health Section Awards Ceremony, and two tickets to attend the Oral Health Section Reception Dinner following the award ceremony.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made to The Anthony Westwater Jong Community Dental Health Student Awards Enrichment Fund at APHA. These funds will be used to supplement and enhance the Pre-Professional Award sponsored by the Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals and the Post-professional Award sponsored by OMNI Preventive Care, a 3M ESPE Company in a manner that is consistent with donor intent, time period, and event activities and within the guidelines established by the Awards Committee. APHA is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Contributions to the fund are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The APHA Federal ID# is 13-1628688. The fund will not be used to cover the costs associated with the solicitation of nominees, the announcement of awardees, the expenses incurred by the Awards Committee, or to fund an event, reception, or dinner for the presentation of the awards, or for the costs of items not included in the award packages unless otherwise specified by donor intent.
Checks should be made payable to:
APHA OH Section- Jong Account # 328060
Mail to:
The Anthony Westwater Jong Community Dental Health
Student Awards Enrichment Fund at APHA
c/o Natasha Williams
American Public Health Association,
800 I Street, NW Washington, DC 20001