president’s message

President’s Message

November 25, 2024

Good evening fellow ABFO diplomates,

I can only hope this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and ready for the onset
of the holiday season. I just wanted to send out a message about our next annual
meeting.

The two workshops are Age Assessment, directed by Dr. Kathy Kaspar, and Civil
Litigation, directed by Dr. Ann Norrlander. Age Assessment will be held on February 14th
and 15th and Civil Litigation will be held on February 16th. As a diplomate you can attend
these workshops, but please let Kathy or Ann know as soon as you can as they will need
to make sure there is room available as it is limited.

Our diplomates dinner will be held on the evening of Sunday the 16th at the Dr. Samuel
Harris National Museum of Dentistry. To sign up for the dinner, please go to the website
under member’s center and purchase the dinner for you and your guest, if applicable.
Our meetings will be held on Monday the 17th. The second EC/ BoD meeting will be
Thursday the 20th and the past president’s lunch will be on the 21st. A special thank you
to retired diplomate Warren Tewes for all his help with the local arrangements.

If you have not gone to the AAFS website to sign up or have not made your hotel
reservations, please do so as soon as possible.

As we get closer to our annual meeting in Baltimore, MD, the times and locations for
our meetings and workshops will be sent out to all, once I have them.

I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy Thanksgiving,
Eric

March 25, 2024

I would like to thank those who preceded me in the Executive Committee in
preparing me for the office of ABFO President. Especially to Dr. Jim Lewis,
who spent the time and effort to prepare me for the two years as secretary and
beyond. I would like to recognize our Immediate Past-President, Dr. Jacqueline
Reid, for a successful meeting in Denver, CO. We had two fellow diplomates
retire, Dr. Barbara Needell and Dr. Jim McGivney. Dr. McGivney was also
awarded as a Diplomate Emeritus. Dr. McGivney also helped me a great deal
in my forensic journey, and I want to thank him for the time he spent with me.
Both the Pattern Injury Workshop and the ID Workshop were successful and I
would like to thank Dr. Lena Karkalas and Dr. Corrine D’Anjou and their
committee members for their excellent work.

Our new secretary for the board is Dr. Grace Chung, our newest member of the
Board of Directors is Dr. J.P. Francher, on the C&E committee Dr. John Nase,
and Dr. Steve Lojeski for the Ethics Committee.

Last month the ABFO welcomed one new Diplomate who successfully
challenged the ABFO Board Examination. I would like to congratulate Dr.
Shanetha Collier on behalf of the entire membership of the ABFO.
Next year we will meet in Baltimore, MD and are fortunate to have Dr. Warren
Tewes to handle our local arrangements. This year, two Workshops will be
offered by the ABFO which permit attendees to register as either “Participants”
or “Observers”. Those with little experience wishing to attend the Workshops
are encouraged to register as an Observer. The Civil Litigation Workshop is
being chaired by Dr. Tom David with a date and location to be determined. The
Dental Age Assessment Workshop is being chaired by Dr. Kathy Kasper and is
scheduled for Saturday February 15th and Sunday February 16th, 2025
in Baltimore, MD.

Advertisements containing additional information regarding these Workshops
will be posted on the ABFO website soon.
I would also like to include that any diplomate that may know a dentist who is
interested in pursuing forensic odontology to the level of being board certified,
to please contact Dr. Paige Smalley, who is our Chair of the Diplomate
Development Committee. This is the lifeblood of our organization.
I am looking forward to working with this year’s EC Members, our Board of
Directors, Committee Chairs and their memberships and the ABFO at large. If
anyone may need anything, please know that you can contact me.

It is an honor to serve the ABFO and here’s to a successful year,
Dr. Eric Wilson
President
American Board of Forensic Odontology