2026 Annual Awards Dinner
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Omega-Omega Chapter Celebrates Student and Faculty Achievement at Annual Awards Dinner
On April 29, the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) Omega-Omega Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), the National Dental Honor Society, held its annual awards dinner at Nanina’s in the Park in Belleville, New Jersey. The annual event celebrates the academic achievement, professional excellence, and accomplishments of RSDM students and faculty through the presentation of awards and induction into Omicron Kappa Upsilon.
The evening brought together faculty, staff, alumni, family members, and students to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine community. RSDM Dean and OKU member, Dr. Cecile Feldman delivered an address recognizing the accomplishments of the students and faculty being honored.
The event culminated with the presentation of awards and the induction of new alumni, faculty, and lifetime members. Chapter President Dr. Donald Lapine and President-Elect Dr. Thomas Scorziello presented the evening’s awards and memberships.
Student Awards
Certificates of Academic Excellence were presented to student doctors Sophia Vicenzino ’29 and Yahya Jawad ’28. Each recipient received a $1,000 award from the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation
The Anthony R. Volpe Excellence in Research Award was presented to student doctor Karen Eren ’27, accompanied by a $1,000 award from the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation.
The Dr. William S. Kramer Award of Excellence was presented to student doctor Rachel Handelman ’27. The award was accompanied by a $10,000 scholarship from the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation.
Omicron Kappa Upsilon Inductions
The evening also included the induction of nine alumni members representing the graduating Class of 2026. New alumni members are:
- Isabella DeFilippis
- Zachary Hayes
- Mingming He
- Daniel Kim
- Alessandro Padovani
- Brendan Padover
- Grace Reznikov
- Victoria Reznikov
- John Valgenti
Dr. Peter DeSciscio was inducted as a faculty member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon.
The chapter also honored Dr. Joel Pascuzzi with Lifetime Membership in Omicron Kappa Upsilon.
The annual awards dinner provided a fitting opportunity for the RSDM community to come together in recognition of academic excellence, research, service, and professional achievement. The Omega-Omega Chapter congratulates all of this year’s award recipients and new members and looks forward to continuing the tradition of recognizing excellence within the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine community.
All photos by: Steve Hockstein/HarvardStudio.com, NJ.