What we do
The School of Dentistry Alumni Society works to create a strong alumni voice in the school and after graduation. They are involved in wide variety of successful initiatives, including the planning and hosting of Dentistry Alumni Weekend and the selection of recipients for the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Other ways the School of Dentistry Alumni Society works to improve the student experience:
- Hosting alumni lunch and learns, wellbeing talks, residency panels and dinners with students
- Sponsoring the Senior Recognition Banquet & White Coat Ceremony
- Awarding scholarships annually to dental, dental hygiene and dental therapy students
- Facilitating the sponsorship of caps and gowns for all graduating students
Board Members and Committees
Board Members
Interested in the School of Dentistry Alumni Society (SODAS) Board? Apply by filling out this application form. A member of the SODAS board or staff will follow up with you.
President
Mrs. Jenna Johnson
Vice President
Vacant
Past President
Dr. Robert Springer
Alumni Board Members
- Dr. Andy Aldrich
- Dr. Joseph Becker
- Ms. Danielle Converse
- Dr. Adam Curtis
- Dr. Mark Jurkovich
- Dr. Michael Jorgenson
- Ms. Jenna Gonyea
- Ms. Kelly Lander
- Ms. Katherine LeClair
- Ms. Kaitlyn Melody
- Dr. Amber Walker
- Dr. Angie Rake
- Dr. Lisa Young
DDS Student Board Members
- Ms. Hailey Shimon
- Mr. John Kern
For more information about Alumni programs, please contact the Alumni Office at [email protected].
School of Dentistry Alumni Society Committees
Committees
- Board Development
- Honors
- Student Programming
- Alumni Weekend
Distinguished Alumni Awards
The Distinguished Dental and Dental Hygiene Alumni Awards are honors given annually to outstanding alumni in recognition of exceptional achievement. Candidates must be a graduate of any program of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and are judged based on their participation, service, and leadership in the advancement of dentistry and dental health, their public service, community service, and/or civic affairs, and their dedication to continuing education.
The School of Dentistry Alumni Society Honors Task Force will review all candidates and will select the recipients for the current year, who will be presented with the award during School of Dentistry Alumni Weekend. Nominations made within the last five years are considered active and will be considered for the current year's awards. If you have nominated someone in the past five years and want to provide additional information, please contact the Alumni Office.
2025 Alumni Award Winners
Thomas Larson, DDS '70, MS '76
Larson graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1970 and began a private practice in Bloomington that same year. In 1972, he began teaching part-time in the Department of Operative Dentistry under Dr. Anthony Romano, transitioning to a full-time faculty position in 1973. He earned his MSD in 1976 under the direction of Dr. James Jensen and continued teaching preclinical and clinical Operative Dentistry courses until his retirement in 2016.
Dr. Larson was an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Academy of Operative Dentistry, Academy of Restorative Dentistry, G. V. Black Gold Foil Study Club, Minnesota Dental Association, and University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Alumni Association. Throughout his career, he also participated in and presented many continuing education courses at the national, regional, and local levels.
Cynthia Stull, DHSc, MSDH ’12, BSDH ’82, RDH
Stull is an Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Dental Hygiene at the University of Minnesota, overseeing the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Oral Health Educator Certificate programs. She earned her BS and MS in Dental Hygiene from the University of Minnesota and her Doctor of Health Sciences from A.T. Still University.
Dr. Stull is a leader in advancing the role of dental hygienists within healthcare teams. She established the Oral Health Educator Certificate program to help address the faculty shortage and developed innovative hospital dental hygiene services, including collaborations with stroke care and teams serving adopted and foster care children who have experienced early adversity. Her teaching emphasizes interprofessional education, leadership and collaboration between dental hygiene and medicine.
Her research focuses on integrating dental hygienists into healthcare teams and expanding oral health professionals’ roles in HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer prevention and screening. She is a member of the American Dental Education Association, American Dental Hygienists’ Association, and American Interprofessional Health Collaborative.
2024 Alumni Award Winners
Katie Divine, DDS '13, MS
Divine received her DDS from the School of Dentistry in 2013. She completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry fellowship at Idaho State University before returning to the School of Dentistry to pursue an MS in Dentistry and a Certificate in Endodontics. Divine is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and has served in full-time private practice since completing her residency in 2018.
Divine is an assistant adjunct professor at the School of Dentistry with a passion for mentoring future practitioners. She is also a leader in organized dentistry, having served or currently serving with the American Association of Endodontists, Foundation for Endodontics, Minnesota Dental Association and International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT), among other organizations. Divine is a prolific volunteer who leads the endodontics division of the Minnesota Mission of Mercy, spearheaded the inaugural Global Dental & Oral Trauma Day with the IADT, and has volunteered with Give Kids a Smile for fifteen years. She is committed to providing free care to underserved children and other populations in Minnesota and across the world. Divine’s research contributions include publications in the Journal of Endodontics, within the recently released Dental Pulp Revisited 3rd edition textbook and upcoming research with the Orofacial MRI Center at the University of Minnesota and within the field of dental traumatology. She will be inducted into the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy this October.
Kandis Garland, BSDH '98, MS '07, DHSc
Garland received her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from the School of Dentistry in 1998 and her Master of Science in Dentistry in 2007. She completed a Doctor of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University in 2025. Garland practiced dental hygiene for more than 20 years while also educating the next generation at the University of Minnesota, Idaho State University, Laramie County Community College and the Oregon Institute of Technology. She held roles including instructor, associate professor, associate professor, clinic coordinator, clinic director, OSHA/QA officer and health and safety coordinator.
An expert in infection control, Garland was instrumental to keeping dental practices safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was recognized by the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention as the Emerging Infection Control Leader in 2017. She is responsible for several peer-reviewed publications in Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Decisions in Dentistry and the Journal of Dental Hygiene, among others, focused on infection control and risk mitigation. Today, Garland serves as program manager of dental hygiene at the College of Eastern Idaho, where she was tasked with developing the college’s dental hygiene program.