Dr. Sejal Thacker, assistant professor in-residence and graduate program director of Periodontics at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, received the prestigious Bud and Linda Tarrson Fellowship Award from the American Academy of Periodontology—one of the highest honors in the field of periodontics.

“It’s like a dream come true for me,” said Thacker. “This award incentivizes educators like me and boosts my confidence and validates the efforts of my entire team, which includes my family, my mentors, my residents, and my students. It makes me feel like I’ve arrived as an educator, and allows me to focus on what I love to do the most—which is being a periodontist, a teacher, a leader, and a scientist.”

Thacker will receive $30,000, which she will use for professional development and to give back to the specialty.

This is not the first time the award has been given to UConn faculty. Drs. Anna Dongari- Bagtzoglou, Effie Ioannidou, and Patricia Diaz have all received this prestigious award in 1999, 2008, and 2012 respectively.

Thacker is a board certified Periodontist and a Master of Dental Science. She directs the post-graduate Periodontology program at UConn Health and maintains a private clinical practice in Shelton, Glastonbury and Manchester. She was named a Top Dentist in Connecticut by Connecticut Magazine in 2018 and received an award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics by the American Academy of Periodontology. Thacker has participated in multiple clinical trials and was recently recognized and inducted by the Academy as the emerging key opinion leader in the field of periodontics.