Recent Alumni Award

Dr. Wakeshi Benson is an associate dentist at the Dental Care Institute near Detroit. Benson received a B.A. in Chemistry, with honors, from MSU in 1996. After receiving her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from University of Michigan, Benson completed her residency program at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit.

Benson performs all phases of general dentistry on adults and children. Currently she focuses on minor periodontal surgery, surgical extractions, alveoloplasty and utilizing rotary endodontics.

While attending MSU, Benson was a member of the Charles Drew Enrichment Laboratory. She also served as Vice President of the Student Assistant Association and was on the College of Natural Science Dean's List for four semesters.

Benson is the 2004-2005 President of the Detroit District Dental Society (Central Branch). She is a member of the Michigan Dental Association and serves on the MDA Committee on the New Dentist. She is an active member of the National Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry and Wolverine Dental Society.

Benson was a member of the planning committee for the Charles Drew Program Fundraising Dinner in September 2004. Her involvement helped build the endowment for the Drew Lab and ensure its continued success in the College of Natural Science.

Benson is married to Dr. Larry Benson (Physiology '96) and lives in Southfield.

2004 Association of American Medical Colleges Award Nominee

Eric Ayers, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at Wayne State University, was nominated for the 2004 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the AAMC through the support of the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative). Ayers was nominated by the Organization of Student Representatives chapter of Wayne State University.

While Ayers has not been selected as this year’s national award recipient, and while only one physician faculty member can receive the national award each year, we believe that all sixty-four nominees deserve high recognition. To be singled out as a positive and caring role model among your school’s entire faculty and as a physician whom students would like to emulate is indeed a high honor. There intent, therefore, is to advance the ideals of humanism in medicine – including compassion, understanding and partnership – by recognizing and celebrating the achievements and contributions of humanistic physicians.