August 12, 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I am honored to announce the 2017 meeting of the Orthodontic Education and Research Foundation. It will take place March 10-12 in St. Louis at The Ritz Carlton. In addition, our Merit Award recipient will be one of our own, S. Jay Bowman. Jay has an undying love for orthodontics and has spent much of his career lecturing around the world on “evidence-based” orthodontics. I cannot think of a more deserving individual than Jay to honor at our meeting.

The Orthodontic Program at Saint Louis University continues to be a forerunner in orthodontics, and the Foundation plays an instrumental role in achieving and maintaining that status. Through its financial and educational support, the Foundation provides key elements that enhance the education and overall experience of the orthodontic residency program.

Continuing to offer a “high-profile” speaker line-up at our annual meeting and maintaining a top-notch education at Saint Louis University are key priorities of the Foundation. Your financial support preserves this great organization and its ripple effect on orthodontics.

Our upcoming meeting has an array of speakers that I hope will offer a unique combination of topics to benefit your practice. Some of our speakers include the following:

Char Eash – Orthodontic consultant and owner of Profit Marketing Systems. Char has over 30 years of experience in orthodontics and will discuss ways in which you can implement systems in your office to improve efficiency and enhance the experience you deliver to your patients.

S. Jay Bowman, DMD, MSD – Jay’s lecture will be titled “Everything but the Kitchen Sink . . . and on Second Blush.” He will discuss wires and pliers, plastic and punches, scars and solutions, IIs and IIIs, fore and aft, faster and friction, chewies and positioners, quick fixes, horseshoes, monkey hooks, cold steel and sunshine, enhanced anchorage and anchors. Everything from soup-to- nuts: an orthodontic travelogue through daily problem solving as the mother of invention.

Faisal Quereshy, DMD, MD – Private practice oral surgeon and Residency Program Director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Case Western Reserve/University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Dr. Quereshy will present advances in oral and maxillofacial surgery that can help treatment plan and improve outcomes for multi-disciplinary patients.

Mark Berkman, DDS, MS – Private practice orthodontist in Commerce Township Michigan and Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in Orthodontics at the University of Michigan. Dr. Berkman will discuss what our specialty may look like in the future and how changing your perspective on interdisciplinary treatment can better shape your orthodontic treatment.

The meeting of March 10-12, 2017 will be an opportunity to gain new knowledge, but more importantly, it will be a chance to reconnect with classmates and friends. I have many fond memories of St. Louis and I hope the same is true for you. For many of us, it was the last stop on our educational journey before we made our way into the “real world” of orthodontics. I hope that you will join us and also offer your financial support to support this great organization. Please join me in returning to St. Louis to enjoy the town, reunite with friends, and support your school.

See you in St. Louis!

Zachary J. Mellion, DMD, MSD

SLU 2006

President, OERF