D’Souza Receives National Mentoring Award

For Rena D’Souza, D.D.S., Ph. D., mentoring is not an option – it is an obligation. For fulfilling that obligation time and time again, D’Souza recently received the 2005 National Student Research Group Mentor Award from the American Association of Dental Research (AADR).

Rena D’Souza, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of orthodontics at the UT Dental Branch at Houston, shows off a T-shirt signed by the officers of the National Student Research Group. The mentor award she won is at right. Photo by Brian Schnupp

The prestigious honor goes to only one mentor in the nation who is nominated by his or her mentees for being an outstanding role model and teacher. D’Souza, professor of orthodontics at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, received the award during a ceremony in Baltimore, Md.

Those who know and nominated her said D’Souza stands out because of her diversity of teaching styles, emphasis on strong scientific research and sincere concern for her students. Under D’Souza’s direction students of the UT Dental Branch have won 15 AADR and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summer Research Fellowships. Many of these students have gone on to pursue advanced dental degrees.

D’Souza also has earned 15 teaching excellence and mentoring awards at the Dental Branch and 13 national student research awards and fellowships. In addition she is principal investigator for the NIHfunded UT-TORCH, part of which assists in matching faculty mentors with promising mentees. In 2002
the International Association of Dental Research recognized D’Souza with the Distinguished Scientist
Award for her contributions.

Jeryl English, D.D.S., chair of the Department of Orthodontics, attributes D’Souza’s success to the unflagging commitment she puts into her profession. “Dr. D’Souza has an incredible talent for getting the best out of the students, specialty residents, Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows,” he said. “She has a passion for discovery and mentorship that is obvious to all who come to know her. Dr. D’Souza is an invaluable asset to the Department of Orthodontics and to The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.”

Her mentees feel just as strongly. Sylvia Frazier-Bowers, D.D.S., Ph.D., a former faculty research trainee, said D’Souza’s strong sense of enthusiasm and commitment led her to choose the Dental Branch over many other options. “Since the very first conversations and even to this day, Dr. D’Souza has acted as a hostess, exemplary teacher, sponsor and trusted counselor.” D’Souza served as a mentor to Frazier-Bowers on an NIH grant application, which received the highest echelon of the study section in which it was reviewed.

In a letter written by representatives of the Dental Branch Student Research Group, Julia Javarone, Vickie Leonhart and Katie Olson described how D’Souza was not only an excellent teacher, but also an exceptional role model for her students.

“Dr. D’Souza seeks out every opportunity to expose students to the possibilities in research, speaking with prospective dental students and first-year students during the interview and orientation process,” the letter states. “She is more interested in the overall professional growth and development of her mentees than in the furthering of her own research goals.”

And according to D’Souza, that is the key – putting your students first. She said she learned that principle from having good mentors herself.

When accepting the award, D’Souza gave a short talk on “reaching up while reaching down.” She emphasized that good mentors, who see the importance of helping others, also must continue to reach toward those who are more experienced and knowledgeable than themselves.

“I am honored to receive this award. I consider mentoring to be the greatest obligation of a tenured faculty member,” D’Souza said. “It is our way of continuing to grow professionally, while also giving back.”

By Erika E. Durham, Public Affairs