The Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University has named Marianne Dryer, RDH, M.Ed., as the recipient of the 2025 Dr. Esther Wilkins Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. The recognition reflects Dryer’s long-standing contributions to dental hygiene education, clinical instruction, and curriculum development.
Dryer earned her RDH in 1983 from the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene before completing a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Old Dominion University and a Master of Education from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. She is known for her work in periodontal instrumentation, ultrasonic technology, clinical calibration, and risk-based care. Her career includes national and international speaking, published authorship, and ongoing involvement in modernizing dental hygiene education.
Dryer currently serves as program director of dental hygiene at Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts, where she oversees curriculum innovation, faculty development, and competency-based clinical education. Her recent work includes integrating AI-supported assessment, ultrasonic science, and microbiome strategies into preventive and periodontal care, including educational approaches involving probiotics such as Lactobacillus reuteri.
In addition to receiving the 2025 Dr. Esther Wilkins Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, Dryer was also named the 2025 Sunstar Award of Distinction recipient in Academia. Her contributions to teaching, professional development, and clinical training were cited as central to both recognitions.
Dryer also received a GUM/RDH 2025 Award of Distinction for her work in education, an area that has been a consistent focus throughout her career.
