UK hosts orthodontic residents nationwide for annual GORP conference
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2025) — The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry hosted more than 400 orthodontic residents from across the U.S. and Canada for the 36th annual Graduate Orthodontic Residents Program (GORP).
The weekend-long program is designed for orthodontic residents and graduate students; most bring in the first or second year of their graduate residency program. The residents stayed on UK’s campus and had the opportunity to participate in educational lectures and several different group networking activities.
On Saturday, the program held a lecture giving residents insights to starting their career in orthodontics.
Thomas Kluemper, D.M.D., professor of orthodontics in the UK College of Dentistry, along with his friend and colleague Michael Callan, D.D.S., from the University of Iowa kicked off the day of lectures with their presentation titled “Life, love and possibility in orthodontics.”
“Mike and I were first-year orthodontic residents together at the University of Michigan in 1989, the inaugural year for GORP. The thought behind our lecture was to share a reflection of our 37 years teaching and practicing orthodontics with the young men and women in attendance,” Kluemper said. “We narrowed it down to five different lessons or pieces of advice we would love to give our younger selves when we were beginning our residency, if given the chance to travel back in time. Of course we can’t go back, but what we decided was that we could share that message with the 400 residents in attendance this year.”
Other lectures throughout the day included presentations on new discoveries on the implications of orthognathic surgery on speech, new technology in personalized orthodontics and how to start a private practice in a predominantly corporate world.
Outside of the continuing education lectures, the weekend was filled with events for the residents to begin building their networks with the other attendees. The schedule included vendor fairs at the Gatton Student Center, a picnic at the Kentucky Horse Park and a banquet at Keeneland.
“Attending a conference like GORP forces you to bond with others quickly,” said Emma Palmer, D.M.D, third year orthodontic resident at UK and GORP coordinator. “The residents spent time learning at the lecture series, but they were also able to get out and have some fun while connecting with each other. So, the weekend really gave them a good mix of everything.”
Traditionally, GORP has rotated from being hosted at St. Louis University and the University of Michigan, but this year it returned to UK for the second time in the program’s history.
“It’s amazing that UK’s orthodontic program had the opportunity to host the conference this year,” Palmer said. “We are considered one of the smaller programs within orthodontic residencies, so it’s a big deal for us. We may be small, but we all came together to put on this event. It’s a great feeling to be able to show off our campus and the Lexington area.”
GORP was started in 1989 by the orthodontic residents at Michigan under the guidance of their department chairman at the time, Jim McNamara, D.M.D. The conference’s goal is to bring together orthodontic residents who represent the future of the specialty through shared educational and social experiences.
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