DSO USOSM surgeon receives ACOMS Humanitarian Award

Dental service organization (DSO) U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM) applauds partner surgeon Dr. Julia Plevnia for receiving the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS) Humanitarian Award.

The award recognizes outstanding philanthropic and humanitarian contributions made by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. It is not given annually and only is awarded to a person with “exceptional merit.” Plevnia is one of 14 people to receive the award since its inception in 1990. The last award was given in 2016.

Plevnia is an owner, partner, and practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon with Dry Creek Oral Surgery in Parker, CO. She attended dental school on an Army scholarship. While serving on active-duty training at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, she was introduced to oral and maxillofacial surgery through orthognathic and trauma cases. After graduation, Plevnia was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army.

During her tenure in the military, she treated soldiers wounded in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and held various positions at military centers and hospitals. Eventually, she transitioned from active duty to serving in the U.S. Army Reserves and went into private practice.

Previously, Plevnia was the Colorado State Dental Officer for five years before being promoted to Colorado State Surgeon in 2018 and the Colorado Army National Guard/Colorado Joint State Surgeon in 2020. She is the first female, first dental corp officer, and first oral maxillofacial surgeon to hold those distinctions.

Currently, Plevnia, a U.S. colonel, serves as the Colorado Army National Guard/Colorado State Surgeon. Additionally, Plevnia is an adjunct trauma lecturer at the Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a preceptor on trauma rotations for Idaho State University.