A Moment of Pride: We've Won the 2026 Gies Award for Innovation!

Sept. 22, 2025 | Dr. Paul Major, Professor and Chair, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry, Senior Associate Dean, Dental Affairs

I am extremely proud to announce that the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry has been awarded the 2026 William J. Gies Award in the category of Eminence in Innovation. Dr. Marsha Pyle, President of the Gies Foundation, shared that the “esteemed panel of judges believes that your [Mike Petryk School of Dentistry] work has made a significant contribution to and exemplifies the highest standards of innovation in oral health education.” This is truly a testament to our collective effort and a moment to celebrate.

The Gies (pronounced “Guys”) Award is a prestigious international honor that recognizes individuals and institutions that facilitate the creation, exchange, and application of ideas to bring new value to our profession and enhance oral health through education. It is an acknowledgment of our forward-thinking approach.

The innovative initiative that earned us this award was the DDS Curriculum Redesign. When I look back to 2015, when this project was first getting underway, I remember thinking, "Are we ready for something this big?" We knew that we no longer wanted to simply 'tweak' the curriculum. Instead, we were committed to making a truly transformational change with a purpose to improve the student learning experience. To do this, we needed two things: a solid rationale for the change and the full support of our faculty. This buy-in was absolutely critical to moving forward. We took the time to build a shared understanding of why this was important and what it would mean for our school, and we did not shortchange that process.

What impressed me most during this journey was the level of engagement from every corner of our school—from support staff to faculty to students. Everyone had a voice and a forum for sharing their feedback, knowledge and expertise. This collective effort was the true innovation behind the redesign.

This award is a powerful testament to the hard work that went into the design, build, and implementation of the new curriculum. We didn't just redesign a course; we built the scaffolding for the school's evolution. A relevant curriculum requires constant change and continuous improvement, and the scalable, evidence-based, and innovative framework we created will allow us to do just that for years to come.

For more information on the Gies Award, visit:  2026 William J. Gies Awards Recipients Announced | ADEA

Stay tuned for how we will celebrate this momentous recognition.