For over two decades, the Brian D. Stone Memorial Award has honored dental students dedicated to volunteerism and outreach for communities in need. Established by Drs. Joy and Justin Stone in memory of their son, Brian, the award recognizes future dental professionals who are committed to serving vulnerable populations.
This year, Dental Lifeline Network partnered with 62 accredited dental schools nationwide to present this distinguished honor to 65 deserving graduating students.
Among this year’s recipients is Dr. Victoria Parente, a 2026 graduate of the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine. As President of the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA), Victoria helped organize outreach events, educational workshops, and community service initiatives focused on increasing access to oral healthcare to underserved populations. She regularly utilized her Spanish fluency to ensure patients felt comfortable, heard, and understood, and she plans to continue her advocacy work in her future career.
“Dentistry is about much more than clinical treatment,” shared Dr. Parente. “It is also about compassion, advocacy, and service. As a Latina in healthcare, I not only want to help create representation within the profession but also serve as someone patients can relate to and feel comfortable with. I believe giving back to the community is one of the most important responsibilities we have as healthcare providers.”
The leadership and commitment shown by Victoria and her fellow awardees highlight the critical role the next generation of dentists will play in expanding oral healthcare access. DLN is actively working to grow the Brian D. Stone Award program by inviting more dental schools to participate and recognize dedicated students. If your institution is interested in offering this recognition, please complete this form.
2026 Brian D. Stone Award Recipients
Aalay Parikh, New York University College of Dentistry
Abigail Musgrave, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry
Adam R. Ybarra, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry
Amaiah Grace Hybbert, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Anastasia Sandoval, University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry
Andrew Bigelow, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
Antonio Joseph Cardoso, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Ariel Clayrese Holliday, West Virginia University School of Dentistry
Ashley Gearlds, University of Louisville School of Dentistry
Ashley P Suchyta, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry
Audrey Smit, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Baillie Jones, LECOM School of Dental Medicine
Bradley deBoer, University of New England College of Dental Medicine
Brendon Anders Lowder, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Carolina Cabrera, ATSU Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health
Catherine Tang, DMD, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
Charity Rier, Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry
Chase Poplin, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
Chelsea Olsen, University of Utah School of Dentistry
Christina Spencer, University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics
Cole Eise, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry
Cole Miller, Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine
Dan Avshalomov, Touro College of Dental Medicine
Daniela Alvarez, Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine
Emma Foy, California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine
Eric Duong, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, USC
Erika Danella, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Esther Elisabeth Trumpke, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine
Heidi Jang, UCLA School of Dentistry
Hussain Khuzem Bhagat, MUSC James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine
Inna Trygubchuk, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine
Jeremy Oh, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry
Julia Marie Ophals, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
Kanwalpreet Kaur, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Kathryn Rothenhofer, THE DENTAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA
Kierra Monique Banks, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Kyndal L. Holmes, Creighton University School of Dentistry
Laura Karaica, Roseman University College of Dental Medicine
Lauren M. Minutella, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Lauren Miles, University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry
Lilian Turner, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry
Luke L. George, Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry
Madison Wilson, Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine
Mahsa Elyasi, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois
Matilyn Harsy, Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine
Mazen Atout, Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine
Meagan E. Bauer, ATSU Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health
Meghan Laurie Wright, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Mitchell Tharp, University Mississippi Medical Center
Peyton Earle, University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry
Rhianna Jackson, University of Washington School of Dentistry
Shivani Iyer, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Shriya Rani Jain, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Sophia Abedi, UNC Adams School of Dentistry
Sophie Chweya, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
Sterling Smith, Roseman University College of Dental Medicine
Taylor Kate Brown, Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry
Theodore Lefeber, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine – Arizona
Tiffany Kurian, East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine
Trinity Joan Foster, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry
Tyler Gordon Hatch, University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine
Vahe Dikran Kalayjian, Marquette University, School of Dentistry
Vashti M. Convers, UAB School of Dentistry
Victoria Parente, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
Zoya Ansari, Indiana University School of Dentistry
