NYC Health + Hospitals’ Dental Residency Program Wins Highest Recognition in Dental Education
The health system received the 2027 William J. Gies Award for Eminence in Achievement from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
Sep 21, 2026
New York, NY – NYC Health + Hospitals today announced its system-wide dental residency programs received the 2027 William J. Gies Award for Eminence in Achievement from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the highest recognition in dental education. The award recognizes individuals or institutions reaching exemplary transformative achievement in oral health education, providing evidence of outcomes for improvement in collaborative practice, reduced health disparities or inequities. Only one recipient receives the Award for Eminence in Achievement each year. NYC Health + Hospitals will formally receive the award at ADEA’s gala on March 15, 2027.
NYC Health + Hospitals offers 19 graduate medical education programs in dentistry, including general practice residencies and specialty training in oral and maxillofacial surgery, dental anesthesiology, dental public health and pediatric dentistry. Together, these residency programs graduate more than 200 dental residents each year. Dental residents rotate through a range of medical specialties and train across multiple NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, providing a comprehensive and well-rounded educational experience. Across the health system, dental providers deliver more than 225,000 dental visits each year.
“As Chair of the Oral Health Council for NYC Health + Hospitals, we recognize the Gies Award as one that defines our commitment to patient care and the communities we serve,” said Robert Pellecchia, DDS, FACS, Chairman of Dental Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and Chairman of the Oral Health Council at NYC Health + Hospitals. “It is a privilege to represent this remarkable group of colleagues who have dedicated years of service with innovation and excellence in dental education. Our programs at NYC Health + Hospitals truly reflects our passion in expanding our knowledge in dental education and how that intersects and improves patient care. We accept this award with gracious humility and are honored with the recognition that this award represents.”
“Receiving the William J. Gies Award for Eminence in Achievement is an extraordinary honor and a reflection of the remarkable work of our residents, faculty, and staff,” said Aristotle Lyssikatos, DDS, MAGD, Division Chief of Dentistry at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health. “At NYC Health + Hospitals, we believe dental education is most powerful when it translates into better care and greater access for the communities we serve. Our programs prepare the next generation of dental professionals not only to excel clinically, but also to lead efforts to address health disparities. I am incredibly proud of everyone who has made this achievement possible.”
NYC Health + Hospitals has nearly 350 Graduate Medical Education training programs for over 2,900 residents and fellows, one of the largest programs in the nation. Specialties include Anesthesiology, Dentistry, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pathology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Podiatry, Psychiatry, Pulmonary Critical Care, Radiology, and Urology.
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MEDIA CONTACT: pressoffice@nychhc.org
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth —all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.