The 2025 Recipient of the Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award Is Announced!
Longtime University of North Carolina educator who recently retired will be honored at a cocktail reception on August 22 at Dimensions’ Discovery EXPO.
Dimensions of Dental Hygiene is thrilled to announce that Rebecca S. Wilder, RDH, MS, ICF-ACC, FAADH, is the 2025 recipient of the Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award. She will be honored at a cocktail reception — in collaboration with premier sponsor Colgate — on Friday, August 22, from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Anaheim Hilton during Dimensions’ Discovery EXPO.
Wilder officially retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry on April 1, marking the end of a remarkable 44-year career dedicated to dental hygiene education, professional development, and mentorship. Throughout her tenure, Wilder shaped the future of dental professionals through her roles as a professor, administrator, and writer. The university’s first dean for professional development and faculty affairs, Wilder also led the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Education Program and served as editor in chief of the Journal of Dental Hygiene. She is a longtime member of Dimensions of Dental Hygiene’s Editorial Advisory Board.
Wilder credits her success to the invaluable mentoring she received and the unwavering support of her husband and family. As she embarks on retirement, Wilder reflects on a career filled with gratitude, calling herself “the luckiest woman around.” Her impact on dental hygiene education will be felt for generations to come.
Named after its inaugural recipient, the late dental hygiene leader Esther M. Wilkins, BS, RDH, DMD, the Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to recognize the distinguished career of an individual who has consistently contributed to the enrichment of the dental hygiene profession.
