IDA Recognizes Outstanding IUSD Faculty

Each year, the IDA awards outstanding faculty at IUSD for their innovation, hard work and significant contributions to the field of dentistry. Congratulations to our 2023 recipients! Both are pictured below with 2023-24 IDA President Dr. Tom Blake and Interim IUSD Dean Dr. Lisa Lang.

IDA Outstanding Faculty Award

This year’s winner of the IDA Outstanding Faculty Award, Dr. Angela Bruzzaniti, has earned this distinction because she has proven to be an outstanding teacher, mentor, and researcher. Dr. Bruzzaniti is a sought-after mentor and to date has mentored over 100 student mentees and has played an integral part of the IUSD predoctoral biomedical sciences curriculum and the graduate curricula in both IUSD and the School of Medicine. She has authored over 50 academic publications and abstracts and has been connected to over 12 million dollars of funding, with nearly 4 million dollars of that funding total as a PI or co-PI, including a new NIH R01 awarded in 2022. Broadly recognized as an outstanding member of our faculty, Dr. Bruzzaniti has received the IU Trustee’s Teaching Award, the AADR 2018 National Student Research Group Mentor of the Year Award, The King Saud University Distinguished Research Faculty Travel Award, was a Fellow of the ADEA Leadership Institute, an IUPUI EMPOWER Mentor, the IUSD Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty in Research Award and provided the keynote address at the undergraduate research day at the Universidad del Valle School of Dentistry in Columbia.

IDA Outstanding Teacher Award

This year’s IDA Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awardee, Dr. Vinicius Dutra, joined IUSD as a Clinical Associate Professor. He facilitates the planning and execution of eight courses within the DDS curriculum annually and has co-taught both the didactic and laboratory sections within their discipline to all level of the IUSD student population. His teaching focus has emphasized 3D imaging, imaging interpretation, and digital case planning. Dr. Dutra has played a significant role in introducing several critical innovations in the radiology curriculum, supporting the institution’s ability to embrace digital technology. Along with his contributions to the DDS curriculum, he has lectured extensively within various graduate programs, including endodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics. Dr. Dutra has received external funding that will support transformative educational collaborations with international colleagues. In addition, he has recently been identified by the dental student body as an exemplar for innovative and engaging teaching acumen. Dr. Dutra’s forward thinking and curricular enhancements are a few examples as to why he was chosen to be this year’s awardee.