The New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) is proud to announce Mark J. Feldman, DMD of Long Island was honored posthumously with two prestigious awards on June 11, 2022, for his contributions to the Association and to organized dentistry.
Dr. Feldman exemplified everything both awards represent – service to the profession and service to humankind through dentistry.
Dr. Feldman posthumously received the 2022 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many years of meritorious service and commitment to the Association and the Jarvie-Burkhart Award in recognition of his outstanding service rendered to mankind through the field of dentistry. It is the highest honor bestowed by NYSDA.
Since the founding of the organization over 150 years ago, these awards have never been given to the same person in the same year.
“Certainly, if one person is deemed worthy of both awards, they must be a truly unique and wonderful person who has dedicated their lives to dentistry, the members of the dental profession and the patients we serve. This is certainly true of this year’s recipient of these two prestigious awards, Dr. Mark J. Feldman,” said Craig Ratner, DMD, past president.
Dr. Feldman exemplified everything both awards represent – service to the profession and service to humankind through dentistry. His illustrious career as a practicing endodontist served his patients well. His dedication to the profession at all levels of organized dentistry has been marked by many accomplishments and honors.
“If you were to sum Mark and all of his accomplishments up in one phrase – a phrase that can be attested to by all that knew him, all that served with him, and all that admired him, it would be this: Mark always did what was right, he did it for the right reasons, he gave it his all, and he did it all exceptionally well,” said Dr. Ratner.
Dr. Feldman first became involved in his local dental society as a member of the Nassau County Dental Society Insurance Council in the early 1980s.
Soon after, he was elected an officer of the society and was elevated to its presidency in 1988. Though he was active on many association councils through the years, Dr. Feldman developed a keen knowledge of insurance and served on the insurance councils at all levels of the tripartite.
In 1994, he was selected to join the board of MLMIC Insurance Company to help launch its fledgling dental professional liability insurance program. He continued to serve on that board until his passing, as well as on the MLMIC Executive Committee since 2008.
He served as treasurer of his component, as well as of NYSDA, and eventually became the first elected treasurer of the American Dental Association (ADA) when that position was transformed into an elective office. He rose to president of NYSDA in 2002, and in 2008 he was elected president of the ADA.
He also served as interim executive director of the ADA during his year as president.
Dr. Feldman was inducted as a fellow in both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.
ABOUT NEW YORK STATE DENTAL ASSOCIATION
The New York State Dental Association, founded in 1868, is one of the largest state constituents of the American Dental Association and represents more than 70 percent of dentists practicing in New York State. Founded in 1859, the American Dental Association is the oldest and largest national dental society in the world and serves as the leading source of oral health-related information for dentists and their patients.
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