Page 8 - Dentistry Magazine 2021

8 DENTISTRY 2021
Introducing the first holder of the Robert J. Isaacson Professorship in Orthodontics
Amy Tasca, DDS, PhD, became the first holder of the
Dr. Robert J. Isaacson Professorship in Orthodontics in July. She will serve as the endowed professor for a three-year term.
Established by a $1 million gift from his wife, Delores, the Isaacson Professorship honors Faculty Emeritus Robert Isaacson, DDS, MS, PhD, who died in September 2018 at the age of 86. The fund was established in 2019 to celebrate Isaacson’s dedication to the field of orthodontics and continue his legacy of influencing and shaping dentists.
The Professorship, part of the School of Dentistry’s Driven. campaign, aims to recruit, support and retain outstanding full-time orthodontic faculty who spend the majority of their time in clinical team settings and have demonstrated an on- going commitment to research applicable to orthodontics.
“Dr. Tasca was selected as the first holder
of the Isaacson Professorship because
she represents the future of orthodontic education at the University of Minnesota,” said Brent Larson, DDS, MS, director of the Division of Orthodontics. “She has demon- strated unique talents as a teacher, clinician, and researcher, and the additional resources will encourage continued growth as a leader and role model in our discipline.”
Tasca, who completed her PhD and resi- dency at the School of Dentistry before becoming a faculty member in 2018, was surprised by and grateful for the honor.
“I am honored that my colleagues thought highly enough of me that they felt I would be a great candidate to fill that role,” she said.
Tasca fits the bill for the endowed professorship perfectly, as she dedicates herself to clinical training and research mentorship. In the clinics, she mentors graduate resi- dents and works in the cleft and craniofacial clinic. “My role there is to give them a different perspective,” she explained; the young women who make up the majority
of the residency program do not often see themselves in their instructors, but they do with her. “That is the greatest role I serve: showing them that if you work hard and be present where you are, you can balance a family and life and work.”
Tasca is excited for the ways she will continue doing what she does best, with a new title. “I take great honor in it, and understand the responsibility to use these next three years well, as I have the opportunity to do some really great things.”
First year clinical learners celebrated their White Coat Ceremony in September.