Francis G. Serio, DMD, has been named the recipient of the 2015 ADA Humanitarian Award.
Dr. Serio will be honored during the 2015 ADA meeting in November in Washington, DC, and will receive $10,000 to be donated to the continuing work of the group he founded, the Dominican Dental Mission Project (DDMP), according to an ADA News story.In 1982, Dr. Serio traveled alone on a mission trip to a remote region of the Dominican Republic to provide dental care. Over the past 33 years, the number of DDMP volunteers has grown, and the dental charity has provided more than $15 million worth of dental care and dental and medical supplies to some 60,000 rural poor in the country.
The DDMP changed the lives of the thousands who received dental care, and its volunteers also experienced some life-changing events because of their work. Eight Dominican volunteers became dentists. Some volunteers have published research articles using data gathered from the mission trips, and others have branched out to launch or work with other international volunteer groups and programs.
Dr. Serio's work with DDMP has also garnered presidential attention. He received a President's Volunteer Action Award from President George H. W. Bush in 1991 and a Daily Points of Light Award from President George W. Bush in 2001.
In addition to volunteering, Dr. Serio has been an educator at several U.S. dental schools, including the University of Maryland, the University of Mississippi, and East Carolina University. He was named professor and founding dean of the dental school planned at Bluefield College in Virginia, although the program was suspended earlier this year due to funding issues. He has served as a faculty advisor and mentor to students, faculty, and practitioners.
Dr. Serio also lectures on periodontics and global volunteerism. He has authored some 90 articles, abstracts, textbook chapters, books, and other publications. He was a founding member and former chair for the ADA's Dentistry Overseas Steering Committee and serves on the International College of Dentists Humanitarian Liaison Subcommittee.
Currently, he works at a local community health center, providing care for the underserved.
The ADA is now accepting nominations for the 2016 ADA Humanitarian Award. Visit the ADA website and search in the Member Center section for "ADA Humanitarian Award," or email [email protected] for more information.
