2025 Predoctoral Convocation Awards
The UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry hosted its annual Predoctoral Convocation Awards Ceremony at the beginning of April, celebrating the achievements of predoctoral dental students who demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership, service and academic excellence throughout the academic year.
The ceremony opened with a warm welcome and congratulatory remarks from the event’s emcee, Stefanie Seitz, DDS, MEd, associate dean for academic, faculty and student affairs, who recognized 24 students and presented over $25,000 in scholarship and award winnings, honoring the hard work and perseverance of this year’s honorees.
Celebrating Faculty Excellence
On behalf of their respective classes, each class president bestowed the honor of Professor of the Year. Valentina Glikas, junior class president, presented Narayanan Sreenivasan, DDS, MDS, BDS, with the Junior Class Professor of the Year award. They praised Sreenivasan for transforming the way students think as clinicians and creating an engaging, supportive learning environment.
Rachel N. Patrick, sophomore class president, presented Anne C. Jones, DDS, with the Sophomore Class Professor of the Year award for her inspiring presence in the classroom and ability to help students connect clinical knowledge to patient care.
Kate McNeill, freshman class president, presented Haley Nation, PhD, with the Freshman Class Professor of the Year award, and recognized Nation for her compassionate teaching and extraordinary support for first-year students both in and outside the classroom.
Honors, Awards and Scholarships
- OKU Kramer Award: Hamsini V. Nathan
- Mu Nu Memorial Award: Kathleen Becker
- Outstanding Achievement in Academics: Jenna Eisel
- Outstanding Achievement in Research: Madison Faith Haager
- Outstanding Achievement in Service: Jenai Nicole Ballard
- UT Health San Antonio Ambassador Scholarship: Hamsini V. Nathan
- Edward G. Rennels and Vick Williams Award: Eva Pruthi
- TDA Smiles Foundation Scholars: Ethan Groberg and Jamie Fox
- Arthur T. Storey Scholar’s Award: Kathleen Becker
- Carus Dental Scholarship: Alexander Blaine Reed
- Richard H. Carr, Jr, DDS Endowed Scholarship: Ricardo Sosa Silva
- Maria Yeung Student Research Award: Jose Murillo
- The Alliance of Texas Dental Association Endowed Scholarships: Samantha Ann Perez and Jenny Qi
- Emerging Leadership in Dentistry Award: Elaine Morrow
The Junior Clinic Award for Excellence in Clinical Dentistry recognized top performers in patient care across teams:
- Team A: Sandra Mar and Tae-Young Uhm
- Team B: Hayden Christopher Steubing and Connor Iacomini
- Team C: Irene Guo and Alexander Blaine Reed
- Team D: Lacee Belle Mims and Alarice Meiyun Chen
The School of Dentistry congratulates all the awardees for their achievements and commitment to excellence over the year.