ADHA Announces Recipient of 2007 Alfred C. Fones Award

Chicago—July 12, 2007—The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has named Laura A. Mallery-Sayre, RDH, MSDHEd, of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as the recipient of the 2007 Alfred C. Fones Award. She was honored during the opening ceremonies at ADHA’s 84th annual session in New Orleans, La., on June 22nd.

The award recognizes a current ADHA member who has contributed significantly to the profession of dental hygiene. The nominees had a minimum of 25 years of cumulative ADHA membership, association leadership experience, received other dental hygiene awards, participation both in the community and with other allied health professions, authorship, and political involvement. Mallery-Sayre is the 19th recipient of this award and the first dental hygienist from Hawaii to receive this honor.

After completing her certification as a Registered Dental Hygienist from the University of Oregon Dental School in 1969, Mallery-Sayre earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree from the same school in 1975. She received her Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Education from Old Dominion University in 1989. She has served on the faculty of both the University of Pennsylvania Dental School and Old Dominion University School of Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting.

A past president—having served two terms—of the Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association as well as a past president—having served three terms—of the Hawaii Dental Hygienists’ Association, Mallery-Sayre has also served ADHA as a delegate or alternate for 18 terms. Beyond that, she has served two terms on the Commission for the Assurance of Competency; served on the Research, Long Range Planning and Executive Committees; Chaired the Reference Committee on Education and Research; Chaired the Council on Public Relations for three years; served as ADHA Second Vice president (ADHA previously had both a First Vice President and a Second Vice President who assisted the President with speaking engagements and sat on the Board of Trustees); and is currently serving as a member on the Council of Regulation and Practice. She also currently serves as the ADHA State Education Liaison for Hawaii, and as the Hawaii Liaison to the ADHA Institute of Oral Health. Beyond that, she has served the American Dental Hygienists' Association on the Commission.

Mallery-Sayre has previously been the recipient of the University of Oregon's Outstanding Clinician's Award and is a past recipient of the American Dental Hygienists' Association/Warner Lambert Award for Outstanding Excellence as a Clinician. The American Dental Hygienists' Association has also presented Mallery-Sayre the Distinguished Service Award, The Irene Newman Award and their Institute for Oral Health Liaison of the Year Award. She was named the first recipient of the Old Dominion University School of Dental Hygiene's Outstanding Alumni Award and has received the Outstanding Member Award and the Distinguished Service Award from both The Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association and the Hawaii Dental Hygienists' Association.

Along with her many ADHA commitments Mallery-Sayre practices as a clinical dental hygienist and office manager in a general practice that specializes in aesthetic and implant dentistry which she and her husband, Frank Sayre, DDS, own. She is a national educator who specializes in advanced periodontal therapy and dental hygiene practice management. She also provides periodontal practice management advice to national and international clients of Christene Bernhardt & Associates and Jennifer de St. Georges, two separate firms who used to work together. She is also a research evaluator for Clinical Research Associates, a company that provides independent research studies on dental products currently on the market. A designer of periodontal instruments, Mallery-Sayre serves as a consultant to many dental manufacturing companies.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

-30-