Fellows and Masters of the Academy of General Dentistry July 2007 The California Academy of General Dentistry GP News: The Magazine for the General Practitioner California's New Masters What a masterful achievement! Thirty-nine California practitioners qualified to receive the Academy's prestigious Mastership award in San Diego aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway. This may be a record for any constituent since the inception of the award in the 1970s. More than half this number qualified in less than four years through CAGD's MasterTrack program, "Pathway to Clinical Excellence" which was developed by Dr. Rich Ringrose with the help of CAGD's Executive Director, Lynn Peterson. A group of doctors first met in November of 2003 at the Oakland Airport Hilton for the initial four-day session. They were trained in photography and computer presentation, skills that would be honed and polished as they moved through the program over the next four years. Dr. Ralph Hoffman (participant) stated that the MasterTrack was "one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire career. The level of care presented in the cases was phenomenal and a convincing argument for the competency of the general practitioner regardless of the complexity of the case." Dr. Grace Sun said "the MasterTrack experience has to be rated number one among my many others for reaching higher places. It was all about sharing among a group of talented colleagues; it strengthened and humbled you at the same time." Dr. Treva Lee saw her MasterTrack as "better than my GPR: no one was an expert on everything, but everyone was an expert in something." MasterTrack is the highest honor available in the Academy of General Dentistry and one of the most respected and recognizable designations in the dental profession. Only 2,220 doctors have ever achieved this lofty goal. We currently have only eighty-four actively practicing in California (out of close to 14,000 general practitioners). To achieve Mastership, individuals must complete a minimum of 1,100 hours of approved continuing dental education. Most have completed much more. At least 400 hours must be accrued in participation (hands-on) courses; those that involve actual application and the presentation of a technique or skill under supervision of highly qualified experts. Masters have been trained by the best to be the best. More on the fellows and masters of the AGD (Acedemy of General Dentistry) Contact us for an appointment or more information. To report a problem with the website, please email the webmaster. All contents and photographs ©2007, no reproduction without permission.