First, I would like to thank the Second District Valley
Forge Dental Association for nominating me and
secondly the Annual Awards Committee of the
Pennsylvania Dental Association for conferring this award
upon me. Most important, I couldn’t have spent the
many hours on dental projects without the loving
support of my wife Pam. Pam is the inspiration behind
all I have done and deserves this award as much as me.
Service is defined many ways. I believe this award
pertains to “work done by one person or group that
benefits another.” Isn’t that what the Pennsylvania Dental
Association strives to do for our members?
All levels of organized dentistry need our support now
more than ever. Each of us should answer the call to
volunteer for the betterment of our dental community
and society in general. This can
be something as simple
as donating excess PPE to a
hospital or volunteering to
package food at a food pantry.
We can’t all assume the
highest level of leadership in the PDA, but we can
mentor a younger dentist who is struggling with thoughts
of how to keep his/her dental office open during this
difficult time. I encourage each of you to reach out to
a new dentist and see if you can assist them in any way.
You will find it rewarding to listen and share your
concerns with your colleague. Each of us should be
looking for new opportunities we have not taken
advantage of in the past.
There are so many avenues of volunteerism in dentistry.
We can participate in Give Kids a Smile events, visit a
school during Children’s Dental Health Month or volunteer
at a non-profit community dental center or hospital
residency program. After serving a year in a general
practice residency, I taught part time at Penn for one year.
I found teaching to be as great a learning experience
for me as I hope it was for my students. Each of us
should donate some of our time to our communities
“work done by one person
or group that benefits another.”
while never forgetting to value our families, friends,
staff members and patients.
In these past several months of turmoil driven by the
coronavirus pandemic, our immediate past president
Charlie Incalcaterra, interim executive director Mary
Donlin, the PDA Board of Trustees and the entire PDA
staff have been faced with new challenges daily. I
applaud them for their rapid response in keeping PDA
membership informed on key regulatory, health and
financial issues. Surely new president Jim Tauberg and
executive director Ward Blackwell will continue to keep
the lines of communication open as dentists gain the
opportunity to reopen their offices. Now is the time
when organized dentistry at all levels must remain strong
and provide guidance to its members. That is service at
the organizational level.
I’d like to personally thank the
thousands of dental and
medical professionals as well
as lay people who have
volunteered to serve the needy
at one of our MOM-n-PA dental missions. As the chair
of volunteers, I have heard many stories about the
expressions of gratitude received by our dedicated
volunteers from our patients. While our MOM-n-PA had
to be canceled this year, I look forward to once again
welcoming our many returning dentists and their staff
members to the Liacouras Center at Temple University on
June 4 and 5, 2021.
It has been a privilege to work with so many fellow
dentists and PDA staff over my forty years in the dental
profession. In closing, I ask you to remember that it is
our obligation as dentists to give back to our communities
and profession through volunteer service.
With gratitude,
Ronald Heier, DDS
JULY/AUGUST 2020 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 21