ASDOH Assistant Professor Dr. George Blue Spruce honored with national volunteer award
Posted: October 28, 2010George Blue Spruce, Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H., assistant dean for American Indian affairs and assistant professor at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) is the recipient of the 2010 Oral Health America Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Volunteer Award. Dr. Blue Spruce was presented with the award on September 29 in Washington, D.C., at the Capitol Visitor’s Center. The award ceremony was part of an event held on Capitol Hill in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America. The event was attended by many notable leaders including Dr. Beth Truitt, CEO of Oral Health America; Dr. Frank Catalanotto, Board Chair for Oral Health America; and Assistant Surgeon General Admiral William Bailey.
Dr. Blue Spruce was selected for the award for his dedicated volunteer leadership in improving the oral health of the American Indian people and for inspiring American Indians to enter and become leaders in the dental and allied health professions. He is the first recognized American Indian dentist, the first American Indian to hold the position of Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, and also is the founder of the Society of American Indian Dentists.
“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by such an esteemed organization as Oral Health America,” said Dr. Blue Spruce. “As the first recognized American Indian dentist, and looking back to see how very few natives there were following in my footsteps, it became my challenge and passion to serve as a role model and leader, letting American Indian people know that there is an opportunity and a pathway to ultimate success as a leader in dental healthcare for American Indian people.”
The Marvin Goldstein Award was established by the daughter of Dr. Marvin Goldstein, a pioneering orthodontist who opened the first integrated dental practice in 1964 in a then-segregated Atlanta. He operated his dental clinic there for 30 years and was a longtime friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Goldstein’s daughter requested that Oral Health America annually select an individual who demonstrated leadership in serving the oral health needs of vulnerable people through outstanding volunteer and professional contributions. Oral Health America is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives by connecting communities with resources to increase access to dental care, education and advocacy.
In addition to receiving the Marvin Goldstein Award, Oral Health America will place a brick in Dr. Blue Spruce’s honor in the courtyard of the Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, Maryland.
“This award is well-deserved,” said ATSU-ASDOH Dean Jack Dillenberg, D.D.S., M.P.H. “It is truly an honor to have George as a faculty member. He is an extraordinary credit to our school, the profession of dentistry, and all of us involved in healthcare.”