Dr. Wands, who was a UW School of Dentistry faculty member in the Department of Prosthodontics for 22 years, originally established the fellowship at the University of Maryland in 1994 in recognition of the shortage of dental school educators and to offer financial assistance to those interested in academic dentistry. In 1998, he launched a similar fellowship at the UW with a $500,000 commitment. Since the fellowship's inception at Maryland, a total of 13 awards have been made.

In 1967, Dr. Wands graduated with honors from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland, and afterward served for seven years with the U.S. Public Health Service. He then returned to the University of Washington as a half-time faculty member and taught both undergraduate and graduate Prosthodontics, achieving the rank of Clinical Professor.

In addition to endowing the fellowship, Dr. Wands is a member of the UW School of Dentistry Dean's Club and was instrumental in forming the UW Graduate Prosthodontic Alumni Association. In 1999, he was honored by the Dean's Club with its highest award, Honorary Lifetime Member. He is a Life Member of the Academy of Prosthodontics and Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics.

"If we don't have teachers in the dental school, then we don't have graduates. It?s that simple," Dr. Wands has said. Now retired from private practice in Olympia, Wash., he is an avid saltwater and freshwater fisherman as well as a master gardener.