Augusta University
Stacey Hudson
One Dental College of Georgia resident each year is awarded the coveted Dr. Connie L. Drisko Dental Resident Professionalism Award.
The award recognizes a resident who provides outstanding patient service, accomplishes high clinical productivity, demonstrates dedication to community and professional service and achieves academic excellence. Only one graduating resident from each program are eligible.
This year’s Drisko Award nominees included: Dr. Kaitlin Gotschalk from Pediatric Dentistry; Dr. Jessica Anderson from Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Dr. Sarah Baker from Prosthodontics; and Dr. Blake Crosby from Periodontics.
While all of the nominees were deserving of the honor, Dr. Anderson rose above to claim the award.
“The Drisko Award is unique and close to my heart because it recognizes more than just clinical skill, but compassionate care, service to the community, and professionalism,” Anderson said. “Each of these are attributes that I try to display and improve upon daily, striving to be both a role model to my co-residents and a positive player in the team approach to patient care. Every residency program at the Dental College of Georgia is full of leaders and amazing clinicians who take care of a vast array of patients in the state of Georgia, and I am so thankful to be recognized as a part of that team.”
Dr. Marshall Newman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Program Director of the OMFS resident program, said that Anderson’s dedication to the program was evident from the beginning of her residency. He noted that Dr. Anderson would often have to commute 3.5 hours from her home in Dallas, Georgia, which she shares with her fiance, Dr. Hunter Croxton (DMD, 2021; GPR Residency, 2022) but never failed in her duties to the program and her patients.
Managing the balance between professional growth and personal commitments can be challenging, but Anderson has faced her challenges with grace, maintaining compassion for the patients under her care at The DCG.
Newman said that Anderson has, “the unique ability to connect with patients and their families on a level that very few providers are capable of. To witness her interactions with patients is special and emotionally moving.”
For Anderson, fostering strong connections with her patients is paramount: “As a department, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has the ability to vastly change the lives of our patients, from the emergency room to the clinic and the operating room, and our residents and attendings take that role in the community very seriously. I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent my department and the DCG as I take these attributes forward into my career as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in the state of Georgia,” she said.
During her residency, Anderson served as an advocate for the Resident Organization of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. She received the Alpha Upsilon Phi Leadership, Service, and Collegiality Award in 2020; the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Dental Implant Award in 2020; and First Place in the Southeastern Regional Dental Research Symposium in 2024. Additionally, she volunteers with the Georgia Mission of Mercy and Remote Access Medical throughout the state..
The recipient of the Drisko Award must demonstrate academic excellence and exemplary service to patients, the profession, and the community. They must embody the ideals of compassionate care, exhibit strong patient satisfaction, engage in community service, demonstrate leadership, maintain clinic productivity, adhere to compliance standards, and advance in their careers.
The award includes a blown-glass art piece engraved with the recipient’s name, along with a monetary prize of $2,000.
