Page 30 - Dentistry Magazine 2021

30 DENTISTRY 2021
Announcing the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awardees
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Distinguished Dental and Dental Hygiene Alumni Awards.
Patricia Angela Rake, DDS ’97, is the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Dental Alumnus Award, and Lesley Tuomi, RDH, BSDH ’09, is the Dental Hygiene Alumni Award recipient.
The Distinguished Dental and Dental Hygiene Alumni Awards are honors given annually to outstanding alumni in recog- nition 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 chose Rake and Tuomi based on their commitments to outreach, community involvement and leadership.
Patricia Angela Rake, DDS
After graduating from the School of Dentistry in 1997, Rake completed her Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Internship at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She has worked as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with Dakota Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for 19 years and remains active as an adjunct associate professor at the School of Dentistry.
Rake is a diplomat with the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Dental Association, and the Minnesota Dental Association. She is a member and past president of the Minnesota Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
In January 2018, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Rake to the Minnesota Board of Dentistry. She is also a member of the Saint Paul District Dental Society, the Dakota Valley Orofacial and Maxillofacial Surgery Study Club, the Spear Study Club, and the Dakota Valley women’s study club.
She is an avid fundraiser, biking to raise money for the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. She has served as a motivational speaker and leadership trainer for organizations like Aetna, the National Dental Association, the National Association of Professional Women and more. Rake is passionate about using safe practices in anesthesia and raising awareness regarding responsible prescribing of opioids.
“Dr. Rake is not only an amazing oral and maxillofacial surgeon. She’s an inspiration to all who know her: a great humanitarian, teacher, mother, athlete, and friend,” said Cassandra Stacy, who nominated Rake for the award. “She inspires me every day not only to be a better surgeon, but a better person. She uplifts all people around her, and this award is well-suited for her and much deserved.”