- President’s Letter 2025-2026 September 24, 2025
Save the Dates:
Sharon Lu DDS, & Nishan Odabashian, DMD, MS
Saturday, November 22, 9 am – 1 pm
Richard Schwartz, DDS, MS
Saturday, February 28, 9 am – 1 pm
Oakmont Country Club: 3100 Country Club Dr, Glendale, CA 91208
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The 2025-26 Board of the SCAE welcomes you to another year of learning, camaraderie, and sharing of knowledge. We are proud to introduce several changes to the SCAE this year. Firstly, as a way of introduction, our active endodontist Board member joining me (Nishan Odabashian) and Sharon Lu (Immediate Past President) is Dr. John Oganesyan, a USC endo Graduate who is the acting secretary for the Board. Secondly, we have incorporated three residents to the Board to act as liaisons between our Academy and the three local endo programs, namely Loma Linda, (Dr. Viviane Nguyen), UCLA (Dr. Peter Shaaf), and USC (Dr. Andrew Sheinbaum). Thirdly, this year, we are going to incorporate online/remote attendance for those residents and endodontists who are not from the Southern California area to benefit from the lecture presentations. And, lastly, we have reduced the fees for the meetings for residents and active members. The only nominal increase was made for full-time faculty so that it is more reflective of their fee level when compared to resident pricing. It is the aim of our Academy to have presenters share their knowledge and experience for our benefit and that of our patients, and create an environment worthy of our organization.
We are excited to announce our two upcoming meeting dates, which promise to be both insightful, valuable and cutting edge!
On Saturday, November 22nd, we will be hosting the current and past presidents of the Academy—Dr. Sharon Lu and Dr. Nishan Odabashian. Dr. Lu will present about “Big Lesions”: treat or extract and replace with an implant. This is always a hot topic not only among endodontists but also other specialist dentists as well as general dentists. Dr. Odabashian will present what may be a controversial subject among some endodontists—minimally invasive and restoratively guided endodontics. Dr. Odabashian, has been practicing endodontics for 25 years, the latter half using minimally invasive approach which should create interesting discussion during the meeting.
Our Spring meeting will be held on Saturday, February 28th at the same location. We are very excited to bring Dr. Richard Schwartz from San Antonio who will speak on Creative Solutions in Endodntics. Dr. Schwartz is known for his presentation style, and his vast knowledge in endodontics and restorative dentistry. Those who know Rick know that they are in for a treat. We are looking forward to his presentation.
Please mark your calendars and register for this event at your earliest convenience. You can easily register and pay online at www.endoscae.org.*
*Prices for the meetings is online, and is for pre-registration. Fees paid at the door will be $50 extra so as to pay for the excess meals the organization is charged by the venue for last minute additions.
Thank you all for your continued support of the SCAE. We are excited about the upcoming meetings and look forward to your participation. As always, we welcome any suggestions you may have to help us enhance the value we provide to our members.
Warm regards,
Nishan Odabashian, DMD, MS
President, 2025-2026