Orthodontic Alumni "Pay it Forward"

“Dr Chadha not only offered his residents exceptional training but also instilled a sense of gratitude for our education and profession,” said Dr. William Ledoux. “That is why many of my colleagues and I are honored to give back.” Dr. Ledoux received his DDS from LSUSD in 1977 and completed the orthodontic program in 1979.

His sentiment echoes that of most of the alumni who trained under Dr. J.M. Chadha, founder of the LSUSD orthodontic program. Not only did he demand excellence and respect from his residents, he strongly encouraged them to stay involved after graduation and to “pay it forward” to help future residents.

Because of Dr. Chadha's legacy, alumni have funded endowments valued at over $2 million to benefit the LSU School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics. Alumni contributors, who are represented by a board of directors, have established six endowed funds to recognize Dr. Chadha, four long-time faculty members, and the program’s alumni. One fund is a general endowment, three are endowed professorships, and two are endowed scholarships. The professorships and scholarships received matching funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents, which significantly boosted the amount available for education and patient care.

Endowed professorships are created to recruit and retain superior faculty whose research, teaching, or public service contribute to the mission of the department. Endowed scholarships help to offset rising tuition costs and student debt and enhance residents’ educational experience. Scholarships may be used to support travel to national meetings and research symposia where the residents present research or clinical cases. Because LSUSD no longer offers stipends for residents, the competition has increased to attract the highest achievers from around the country. An endowed graduate scholarship will strengthen the program both locally and nationally.

The minimum contribution for both professorships and scholarships is $60,000, which is eligible for a $40,000 match. Five of the endowments were established at triple that amount, i.e., $180,000, with a $120,000 match. The principal remains untouched and is invested, while annual interest of up to five percent is spent to benefit the program.

Back row: Drs. Kennedy, Armbruster, Walsh, Gremillion, Twomley, Payne Front row: Drs. Epperson, Briggs, Lee, Benton, Oubre

This year, for the first time ever, the residents of the orthodontic program were presented with a modest scholarship award from the Terence E. Walsh Graduate Scholarship in Orthodontics. Dr. Walsh, joined by Dr. Paul Armbruster, department chair, and Dean Henry Gremillion, presented the scholarship award this spring. The endowment in honor of Dr. Walsh was originally established as a professorship in 2011. When the graduate scholarship program was created and approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents in 2015, the faculty and orthodontic alumni board chose to convert the professorship into a scholarship fund.

The recipients for the 2016 Terence E. Walsh Superior Orthodontic Graduate Student Scholarship are Drs. Jordan Benton, Matthew Epperson, Eun-Chee Lee, and Briggs McKey in the second-year class, and Drs. Katelyn Kennedy, Matthew Oubre, Rebecca Payne, and Jefferson Twomley in the first-year class.