DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
DR . BRUCE R . TERRY
( Outgoing president Dr . Richard Grossman presented Dr . Terry with the Distinguished Service Award .)
It is a privilege to present our Distinguished Service Award to a truly outstanding leader who has profoundly impacted the profession and organized dentistry for nearly 40 years .
Dr . Bruce Terry has set the standard and achieved excellence in so many areas – as a practitioner , clinician , leader and communicator – that it is difficult to know where to begin .
Many of you know that Dr . Terry served as PDA President in 2017-18 , following his extraordinary tenure as editor of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal .
Some of you might not realize that Bruce ’ s dedication to organized dentistry and valuable contributions to the profession began shortly after his graduation from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1986 . He quickly made his mark at the local and district level and then served on PDA ’ s Council on Communications and Public Relations . It was at that time that he became associate editor of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal , serving with editor Dr . Rich Galeone .
During his time as PDJ editor , Bruce won the 2013 William J . Gies Award , First Place , for his editorial , “ Oral Health Literacy ,” and in 2016 he won another award in the ICD USA Section Journalism Awards in the Leadership Article category .
Following his term as PDA president , Bruce has continued to thrive in the leadership roles he has held with MOM-n-PA since the inaugural two-day , free dental clinic in 2013 . His service as Facilities Chair and a MOM-n-PA board member has been instrumental in the mission providing dental care to thousands of needy Pennsylvania citizens .
For the past four years , Bruce has been serving on the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure while holding positions as secretary and editor for the Second District Valley Forge Dental Association .
As stated by his Second District colleagues in nominating him for this prestigious honor , “ Dr . Terry ’ s contributions , philosophy and ethics have paved the way for the next generation of dental leaders .”
And , he somehow did all of this while training and climbing the highest peaks on every continent in the world , capped by his summit of Mt . Everest in 2019 .
Bruce , we are honored to present you with the 2024 PDA Distinguished Service Award . Congratulations !
Dr . Terry ’ s acceptance remarks :
I would like to thank the nominating committee and the PDA for this prestigious award . I am honored to have been nominated and selected , but I think that the committee really needs to give this award to everyone in this room today . You are all just like me . You practice during the day , you take care of your families after work and in your free time you volunteer for your place of worship , your local political committee , your child ’ s sports teams and schools . You volunteer at local dental clinics and dental events , and you volunteer as an active member in the ADA , PDA and local dental societies . This award is really not just for me but for all of you in the room today and the many that couldn ’ t be here .
In my mind , we are all award winners . We each give when we are tired and overworked and maybe even underappreciated by our very own colleagues . We , not just me , we do the heavy lifting , we make time to make organized dentistry what it is and we are the ones that will continue to make organized dentistry vital and relevant for the future generations of dentists .
I do have to thank all of the PDA staff for the hard work they do every day . Thank you . And , I would be remiss if I didn ’ t thank my wife for being there with me on this journey . I would not be able to do the things I do if not for her support in so many ways . Thank you Susan for all you do ! Again , I am grateful for this award and appreciative of all the many tasks and responsibilities each of you share in keeping this organization alive .
JULY / AUGUST 2024 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 23