Dr. Punwani honored by Pediatric Dental Society

CHICAGO, IL — Dr. Indru Punwani was recently honored by The Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists (ISPD) by making a $2,000 contribution to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry’s Dr. Indru C. Punwani Resident and Faculty Development Endowment Fund.

Punwani’s service as ISPD’s first executive director began in 2000, before retiring in 2017. The ISPD honored Punwani for his “tireless devotion to the progress of oral health for the children of Illinois, along with his national and international influence on pediatric dentistry.” Punwani noted that “it has been my honor and privilege to serve” the ISPD as executive director.

Five years ago, the ISPD honored Punwani by naming its graduate student research award after him. Each year, the award honors two exceptional pediatric dental residents from Illinois for their excellence in dental research.

This year, the honorees of the Punwani Award are Dr. Sarah Duchaj of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a 2016 DMD graduate of the UIC College of Dentistry, and Dr. Risa Hurwich, a pediatric dentistry resident at the UIC College of Dentistry.