Stanley Bergman Delivers Commencement Address at University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry
Henry Schein Chairman and Chief Executive Officer underscores the importance of open
MELVILLE, N.Y., June 15, 2011 – Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, recently delivered the commencement address at Penn Dental Medicine. Addressing the 2011 graduating class, Mr. Bergman stressed the importance of one word— open—in the professional lives of the students as they begin their dental careers
Referencing the classic scene from The Graduate, Mr. Bergman said, “Today I just want to say one word to this graduating class and it’s not plastics; it’s open. Open is going to become one of the most important words in your future.”
In addition to noting that graduates would “open” their practices and probably say “open” to their patients more than 150,000 times over the course of their careers, Mr. Bergman emphasized the importance of their remaining “open” to new technology, leadership opportunities, changing patient demographics, entrepreneurship, partnership, giving back to society and maintaining work-life balance in a quickly-evolving profession.
“Twenty years ago can you imagine trying to convince a dentist that if he or she wanted to build a successful practice it would need to include dental lasers, CAD-CAM, digital imaging that could be viewed immediately in the operatory, cone-beam imaging technology, practice management systems that would tie everything together instantly and electronically link them to patients and dental labs,” said Mr. Bergman. “But that is exactly what has happened in the two decades that I have been leading Henry Schein.”
“You will be the wave of dental professionals to whom we will look to master the new technology that we cannot even imagine at this time and to assimilate it into your practices to continually improve the care that you provide to patients,” he continued. “Because you will play this pivotal role in the continuing evolution of dentistry, keeping your mind open will be one of the most important qualities you will bring to the chair side each day.”
The graduation proceedings were officiated by Dr. Denis Kinane, Dean of Penn Dental Medicine; Dr. Uri Hangorsky, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Dr. Joan Gluch, Associate Dean for Academic Policies; and Dr. Bruce Shenker, Associate Dean for Research. The graduating class included 147 members receiving Doctor of Dental Medicine degrees and six members earning degrees at the post-doctoral level.
About Penn Dental Medicine
Established in 1878, Penn Dental Medicine, among the oldest university-affiliated dental schools in the nation, is a private, ivy-league institution with a history of forging precedents in dental education, research and patient care. Since its founding, dentistry has been taught in a scientific environment as a specialty of medicine and under the multidisciplinary umbrella of the University of Pennsylvania.
About Henry Schein, Inc.
Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, is a Fortune 500® company and a member of the NASDAQ 100® Index. The Company is recognized for its excellent customer service and highly competitive prices. Henry Schein’s five businesses – Dental, Medical, Animal Health, International and Technology – serve more than 700,000 customers worldwide, including dental practitioners and laboratories, physician practices and animal health practices, as well as government and other institutions. The Company operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 200 countries with a comprehensive selection of more than 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 100,000 additional products available as special-order items. Henry Schein also provides exclusive, innovative technology offerings for dental, medical and veterinary professionals, including value-added practice management software and electronic health record solutions.
Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs more than 14,000 people and has operations or affiliates in 25 countries. The Company's net sales reached a record $7.5 billion in 2010. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.
Stanley Bergman, Chairman and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc., delivers the
2011 commencement address at University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry
CONTACT: Susan Vassallo
Vice President, Corporate Communications
(631) 843-5562
susan.vassallo@henryschein.com