Kristie CerutiIn 1981, U.S. Congress initiated the first Women’s History Week beginning March 7 of the following year. That led to Women’s History Month in 1987, and according to womenshistorymonth.gov, in 1995 U.S. presidents began annually designating the month of March as a celebration of the contributions women have made to the nation.
Benco Dental honors women in dentistry year round through its Lucy Hobbs Project (Join free of charge every day!), but throughout March and Women’s History Month also recognizes specific achievements women have made through history in the world of oral health care. Today, we pay tribute to Danielle G. Gill, DMD, the first African American woman surgeon to graduate from an oral and maxillofacial surgery program.
Board-certified oral surgeon Dr. Gill today focuses on the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with special emphasis on dentoalveolar surgery, dental implants, TMJ disorders, and jaw surgery. Dr. Gill is currently in practice at the Carolinas Centers for Oral, Facial, Cosmetic and Dental Implant Surgery, but in 2018 she was making history for African American women in dentistry.
When the North Carolina native graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s School of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2018, she became the first African American woman surgeon and one of three women to graduate from the program.
How Dr. Danielle G. Gill accomplished success in dentistry
Achieving goals and committing to excellence is the norm for Dr. Gill. Prior to joining the team at Carolinas Centers for Oral, Facial, Cosmetic and Dental Implant Surgery in 2020, Dr. Gill:
- Received a volleyball scholarship at Presbyterian College
- Earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with honors at Presbyterian College
- Was named to the Dean’s list while pursuing her doctorate of dental medicine degree at Medical University of South Carolina, James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine
- Earned the post of chief resident in her final year of training during her residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital
- Completed a general practice residency at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
- Participated in an oral and maxillofacial surgery internship at University of Illinois at Chicago, and
- Completed an oral and maxillofacial surgery fellowship, focusing on orthognathic and temporomandibular joint surgery at Advanced Facial and Oral Surgery/Dallas Children’s Hospital in Dallas, Texas.
Learn more about Dr. Gill’s certifications here.
Find out more about the history of Women’s History Month.
Dentistry joins the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history in March during #Women’sHistoryMonth.
