Alumni Spotlight: Gina Terenzi CAS 86 DMD 91 and Dr. Michelle Henshaw SPH 96 DPH 07 Receive 2024 GSDM Distinguished Alumni Awards
Gina Terenzi CAS 86 DMD 91 and Dr. Michelle Henshaw SPH 96 DPH 07, GSDM associate dean for global & population health, were presented with the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the Community at the GSDM Alumni Weekend reception in September.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards are the highest award GSDM presents to alums for their outstanding service to the university, dental profession, and/or community.
“To both our awardees, we are honored by your achievements and proud that you both have been recognized as distinguished alums,” said Dean Cataldo Leone at the reception, noting that it was a “privilege” to present the 2024 awards to two such outstanding individuals.
Gina Terenzi CAS 86 DMD 91: Once a Terrier, Always a Terrier
The Boston University experience isn’t just about receiving an education; it’s also about building a community. And Terenzi couldn’t be more thankful for the endless support she’s received from her community of fellow Terriers.
While she is technically a double Terrier, completing both a BA and a DMD at Boston University, Terenzi sees herself as a “triple plus Terrier legacy” because her father, Antonio Terenzi Wheelock 62, went to BU and she married her husband, Tony, at BU’s Marsh Chapel.
“Over time… the more doors opened to me, and I’m convinced it’s because of the BU connection,” Terenzi said in her Distinguished Alumni Award acceptance speech. “The doors led me to cherish the values of excellent training and the importance of the commitment we all have to do right for the patients and communities we care for.
After graduating from GSDM in 1991, Terenzi completed post-graduate training in general dentistry and then went into private practice. From there, she decided to enter dental academia, first as an associate clinical professor in the Department of Dentistry at St. Francis Hospital and then as a clinical instructor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1998. Terenzi is still at Tufts, and is currently the assistant dean of graduate clinic affairs, associate program director of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program (AEGD), associate director of the general practice residency in dentistry (GPR), and a professor of public health. (Terenzi was the program director for both the AEGD and GPR for 25 years, and recently stepped down to the associate level.)
She said becoming assistant dean was one of the most meaningful professional accomplishments, particularly since both of her parents worked in education.
“Being invited to be an assistant dean was very significant because it meant that my colleagues trusted me,” Terenzi said. “With my parents being in education, I thought, wow, this is such a nice honor, they would’ve been so proud of me to see that [their] daughter rose to that [level] in education.”
Terenzi has received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions, including the Tufts University President’s Distinction Award as a “Champion of Collaboration” and the ADEA Gies Award for Clinical Excellence as a team member at the Tufts Dental Facilities for Special Needs. While Terenzi has been deeply honored by these accolades, including the GSDM Distinguished Alumni Award, she said she never sought out to win awards. Her goal was to make a positive impact in the dental profession–and she will continue to do so.
“You can’t try to be great… You have to be passionate about what you do and what you’re trying to help your patients achieve,” Terenzi said. “At some point it, it works out. If you’re truly passionate, it’s recognized by others as being an impact on either other people or the community that you’re working with.”
Dr. Michelle Henshaw SPH 96 DPH 07, GSDM associate dean for global & population health: The Best is Yet to Come
Dr. Henshaw’s personal philosophy is that the only way to change the future of the profession is to help shape the dentists of tomorrow.
Looking back at her career, Henshaw said she is proud of her ability to foster the growth of GSDM’s global & population health office and adapt dental school curricula to give GSDM students numerous opportunities to be exposed to hands-on work within the greater Boston area early in their education.
“I want to continue to enhance the DMD curriculum in ways that provide our students the best experiential education possible and to form a continuum of didactic and experiential education that that provides them the opportunity to explore all different paths of dentistry and prepares them to be the best dental professionals they can be – whatever path they choose,” Henshaw said.
Like Terenzi, Henshaw is also a double Terrier, having completed an MPH at the School of Public Health and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Dental Public Health at GSDM. She joined the GSDM faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor in the Division of Dental Care Management–and has only expanded her responsibilities over the past three decades. She is now the GSDM associate dean for global & population health and a professor of health policy & health services research.
Henshaw has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including the school’s Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000, the ADEA William J. Gies Award for Innovation in 2011, and the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award in 2014. Henshaw was honored to receive this year’s GSDM Distinguished Alumni Award, viewing it as a boost of support for all dental public health professionals.
“Being recognized as an alum from the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study program was meaningful because I think it shows support [for] not only for me but for the field of dental public health,” Henshaw said.
Henshaw said receiving this distinction also serves as a reminder that the role of being a dental professional never stops. She is excited to keep playing a role in how the profession–and GSDM–continues to adapt.
“This award is not just a recognition of past achievements, but also a reminder of the responsibility we all carry as alumni of this great institution,” Henshaw said in her acceptance speech. “It inspires me to continue giving back to our school and the profession. I look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in our field, and I’m excited about what the future has in store for all of us.”