Dr. Jean Emerling Celebrated at Retirement Reception
On the evening of June 24, 45 of Professor Jean Emerling’s closest friends on the faculty and staff at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) came together to wish her farewell. Dr. Emerling is retiring after 35 years of service to the School.
Since coming to GSDM in 1975, Dr. Emerling has been a faculty member in the Department of Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Dentistry, and Department of General Dentistry. From 1981 to 2008, she served as the Director of Predoctoral Removable Prosthodontics. During her tenure at GSDM, she served on many influential committees for the School, and in 2000, she received the Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Emerling received her DDS from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dentistry and her BA in Biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed her General Practice Residency at the Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital, now the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York.
Professor and Chair of General Dentistry Dr. Judith Jones addressed attendees of the reception. She said, “Dr. Emerling deserves all the superlatives: she is a passionate and exceptional teacher, she has mentored many students and faculty, and she has served the school with distinction. As a task master, or should I say mistress, she always expected the best from her students. And she got it." Dr. Jones continued, "More than that, she is an amazing role model for all of us. Finally, the women of GSDM are particularly grateful for her leadership. When she came to the School, there were few women faculty. She, with Drs. Shaw and Ashayeri, led the way for all of us. Congratulations and our best wishes for a healthy and really fun retirement. You deserve it.”
"Dr. Jean Emerling has been my teacher, my mentor, and my dear friend for 33 years," added Clinical Professor and Director of Predoctoral Removable Prosthodontics Dr. Ronni Schnell. "She has been an inspiration to me, as well as to the countless students, faculty, and staff with whom she has worked and taught through out her tenure at GSGM. I know she will be moving into the next amazing chapter of her life with the same passion and zeal that she exhibited while achieving the legacy of a lifetime." Dr. Schnell continued, "I wish Dr. Jean and her husband Dr. Frank Emerling my very best upon their retirement. I will always carry her song in my heart."
"On behalf of the entire GSDM community, I congratulate Dr. Emerling as she begins this new and exciting chapter in her life and I thank her for her many years of loyal service," said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter in his welcoming remarks. "She is truly one of a kind and we are so lucky to have worked alongside her, learned from her, and most of all been inspired by her during her time at GSDM."
Photos from the reception are available on GSDM’s flickr account.