Lasting Impressions | Summer 2017

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 39 Irene Marron-Tarrazzi, D.M.D., M.S. (’03), right, was one of six women selected by the Lucy Hobbs Project as award recipients for setting new bench- marks in the dental profession. The awards were presented during the Lucy Hobbs Project 5th Annual Celebration held April 27 at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Marron-Tarrazzi, recipient of the Woman to Watch Award, defied odds at age 42 by becoming the youngest elected vice president of the American Dental Association (ADA). A periodontist in private practice in Miami, Florida, Marron-Tarrazzi had been serving on the ADA New Dentist Committee while holding positions at the state and local levels. She initially received her D.M.D. from Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. Later, she received a master’s degree in science and a certificate in periodontol- ogy from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. In 2003, Marron-Tarrazzi earned a D.M.D. from NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. According to the Lucy Hobbs Project, “She draws on her own story—one that encompasses success across two distinct cultures and languages—to inspire young women looking to pursue a career in dentistry and to encourage them to run for leadership roles at the national level.” With a network of more than 9,000 members, the Lucy Hobbs Project empowers women in dentistry to drive change and deliver success through networking, innovation, and giving back. Named for Lucy Hobbs, who, in 1866, became the first American female to earn a degree in dentistry, the project aims to bring women together from all facets of the dental industry—dentists, dental assistants, hygienists, receptionists, sales representatives, and others. The American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) also honors a female dental pioneer with its Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award—the AAWD’s highest honor, which recognizes significant service to dentistry on the basis of achievement in civic, cultural, humanitarian, and academic areas. Two CDM faculty members have received this award: Sharon Crane Siegel, D.D.S., M.S., M.B.A., chair of the CDM’s Department of Prosthodontics, in 2015; and Linda C. Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean of the CDM, in 1998. u CDM Impressions BOOK COVERS BUSINESS SIDE OF DENTAL PRACTICE How to Grow Your Dental Membership Plan: Marketing Secrets Behind My 1.4 Million Dollars of Growth , written by Christopher Phelps, D.M.D., CMCT, left, recently reached No. 1 on Amazon’s best sellers for dental books category and ranked No. 2 in the dental office practice category. Phelps, who was in the college’s third graduating class (’03), served as class president three out of his four years at the CDM and is the current president of the CDM Alumni Society and Friends. Additionally, he is the owner and president of the Carolinas Dental Center of Matthews, North Carolina, and the Phelps Institute. Phelps’ book focuses on the business side of running a dental practice, including marketing and growing a patient base. u ALUMNA RECEIVES WOMAN TO WATCH AWARD