As the sixth JCO Student of the Year, Dr Amanda Gross receives over $8,000 of products and services from American Orthodontics, JCO, and Dolphin.
The Journal of Clinical Orthodontics recently named Amanda Gross, DDS, of Texas A&M University as the winner of the 2021 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year Award, presented by American Orthodontics. Gross was selected over 16 other students from schools around the United States in a two-stage, months-long competition judged by members of the JCO editorial board. Her prize includes more than $8,000 worth of products and services from American Orthodontics, JCO, and Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions.
The competition was held in two stages. Every school in the United States was allowed to nominate one current student. Each nominee submitted two letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Nominees were then given the materials from an unpublished case and asked to write a complete treatment plan, including all possible alternatives, within a 2-week time frame. Three JCO board members whittled the 17 nominees down to 12 finalists in December.
Each of the finalists then submitted a complete report for a case he or she had worked on. A wider panel of JCO board members voted for the winner.
“I’m shocked and honored to have been picked for the 2021 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year Award!” said Gross. “I love the orthodontic profession, and I’m so grateful to begin my journey ‘into the real world’ with yet another reason to work hard and represent our profession well. I see this award as a beautiful commemoration of the many minds that have helped advance orthodontics. My generation stands on the shoulders of giants, and I hope we can continue to allow for orthodontics to flourish as time moves forward.”
The award program grew out of JCO’s central mission to specialize in the clinical side of orthodontics. “We believed there was a gap in student recognition,” said JCO editor Robert Keim, DDS. “Almost all of the awards were for research, which is of course important, but no one was rewarding clinical excellence. We thought we were the perfect vehicle to address that gap.”
Gross grew up in El Paso, Tex. After double majoring in flute musical arts and biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, she attended dental school at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio. After graduating third in her class with distinctions in dental research and education, she attended Texas A&M’s orthodontics program. Prior to this latest achievement, Gross won 10 academic, seven clinical, three research, two leadership, and two teaching awards during her time at the University of Texas. At Texas A&M she serves as the resident board advisor for the Texas Association of Orthodontics. A complete profile of Gross will be published in the April issue of JCO and posted on JCO’s Facebook page.
