Dr. Steven Gounardes Receives the SDDS Distinguished Service Award On Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, former NYSDA Speaker and Second District Dental Society (SDDS) Past President Dr. Steven Gounardes was awarded the SDDS Distinguished Service Award at the annual SDDS Installation of Officers luncheon. The SDDS Distinguished Service Award is the most prestigious recognition bestowed by the Society and is awarded to individuals with an extraordinary history of commitment and dedication to their profession and to the betterment of organized dentistry. Dr. Gounardes is the 16th recipient of this award in the Society’s 156-year history. A graduate of New York University College of Dentistry, Dr. Gounardes completed both a general practice residency and fellowship at Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn (now NYC Health+Hospitals/Woodhull). He serves as assistant director of the Department of Dentistry/ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Woodhull, as well as director of the general practice residency program. He also maintained a private general practice for 35 years in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy, where he received the Distinguished Service Award in 2007. Dr. Gounardes has spent a significant portion of his professional career serving organized dentistry. As his children often say, for over 30 years their shared family outings and vacations often revolved around attending and participating in dental society events and conventions. Dr. Gounardes began his service to SDDS in 1993 and was elected to every position in the organization’s leadership, culminating in his term as president in 2002. He served as a member of the New York State Dental Association’s (NYSDA) board of governors from 1999 through 2004 and in 2007, he was elected president of the state association. From 2005 through 2010, and again from 2015 through 2019, he served as a delegate to the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Gounardes served a four-year term as trustee for the ADA from 2010 to 2014, where he served on many committees including as chair of Finance and Budget and chair of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. He most recently served as the NYSDA Speaker of the House from 2016 to 2023. Not since 2002 has there been an officer or delegate here at SDDS who hasn’t received the “Gounardes Tutorial” on how to run an effective meeting, be it as a committee chair, a state delegate, officer, trustee or SDDS president. It has made us a more prepared and effective dental society. Dr. Gounardes has been a mentor for scores of hospital residents who continue to participate in SDDS activities after graduation and he has demonstrated to all what the words “commitment to the profession” truly means. Dr. Gounardes’ commitment to service does not just extend to molars, incisors and every level of dental association involvement possible. He has spent a nearly parallel lifetime in service to his community and church. He served on the parish council of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Bay Ridge for thirty years, including nine as presi- dent of the community. Since 1997, Dr. Gounardes has also served on the board for Saint Basil Academy, a residence for orphaned or at-risk children in Garrison, New York, including 20 years as president. He is a professional registered parliamentarian recognized by the National Association of Parliamentarians and is a certified parliamentarian teacher by the American Institute of Parliamentarians. Dr. Gounardes and his wife Dianne have been married for 45 years and raised a family of three children—Andrew, Patricia and Gregory—in their Bay Ridge home. Andrew is a New York state senator and is no stranger to the Society, having spoken before its members on numerous occasions in his official capacity. He lives in Bay Ridge with his wife Melanie and their two sons, Evan and James. Patricia is a senior manager at NBC Universal, where she is responsible for sponsorship and licensing rights for NBC’s Olympics coverage. She lives in Norwood, Massachusetts with her husband, Alex, and their son, John. Gregory is an administrative assistant in the office of the chancellor for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In this capacity, he assists in all matters related to the clergy and parishes through the United States and is responsible for the various scholarships offered by the Archdiocese. Gregory is engaged to Andrea Giavroutas and they are planning to be wed next summer in Greece. Now that their children have grown and moved out, Dr. Gounardes and Dianne spend their days thinking of new ways to dote on their three grandchildren, which gives them the greatest joy of all. SDDS Distinguished Service Award Recipient Dr. Steven Gounardes (center) and his family. From left to right: Dr. Gounardes’ son, New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and his wife, Melanie, with their children, James and Evan; Dr. Gounardes’ wife, Dianne; Dr. Gounardes’ grandson, John, and daughter, Patricia; Dr. Gounardes’ daughter-in-law to-be, Andrea Giavroutas, and his son, Gregory SDDS President Dr. Tricia Quartey-Sagaille presents Dr. Steven Gounardes with the SDDS Distinguished Service Award WWW.SDDSNY.ORG 7
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