PDMPENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALLJ 2019 RESTORING SMILES, BUILDING HOPE NEW COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVING REFUGEES WHO SURVIVED TORTURE, OTHER TRAUMA FROM THE DEAN Building on our Strengths THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE. July marked my one- year anniversary as Dean and what a tremendous honor it continues to be every day to serve in this role. The students, faculty, staff, and alumni who make up our Penn Dental Medicine community inspire me daily as together we work to build on the School’s leadership in dental education, research, and patient care. Among recent efforts, I’m particularly proud of the faculty, stu- dents, and staff who brought a new outreach program to life this sum- mer, serving refugees who have survived torture and other trauma (see story, page 12). Led by Dr. Olivia Sheridan, our students are providing much-needed care to this vulnerable population, restoring smiles and hope while gaining invaluable experience as developing clinicians. We are also building upon our patient care services and students’ In this issue, we also highlight students and alumni who have educational experiences through a number of other new initiatives: chosen to serve those who serve our country as military dentists (see the addition of a registered dietitian to our staff is strengthening story, page 26). Nearly 10% of our current DMD students are pursuing health promotion and patient-centered care (see story, page 4); a their degrees as commissioned officers of the U.S. military and will go grant-sponsored program is enabling us to provide implants at on to share and develop their skills in the Army, Air Force, and Navy. greatly reduced fees while adding to our students’ case management We also are committed to ensuring Veterans within our surrounding experience (see story, page 5); and our plans are moving forward to Penn Dental Medicine community are getting the care they need — this create a Care Center for Persons with Disabilities (see story, page 2). fall, hosting our second annual New Patient Admissions Fair for Veter- In the area of faculty recruitment and development, we are ans — a day of free dental and oral cancer screenings and a way to help continuing to add to our full-time faculty. Among some key leadership Veterans know the School can be their ongoing dental care home. appointments, we welcomed Dr. Rodrigo Neiva in September as the Indeed, this academic year is off to a great start, and I’m looking new Chairman of our Department of Periodontics (see story, page forward to what we’ll achieve together in the year ahead as we con- 18) and Dr. David Hershkowitz joined us as Chief of the Division tinue to build on the strengths of this great institution and everyone of Restorative Dentistry in October (see story, page 5). Both bring within our Penn Dental Medicine community. exceptional clinical and academic experience along with a focus on building a positive, team environment — a critical component of successful leadership — and we are pleased to have them with us. Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Morton Amsterdam Dean INSIDE Restoring Smiles, Dr. Rodrigo Neiva The Satisfaction of Building Hope New Chairman Eagerly Service New Community Outreach Building on the Department Students and Alumni Experience Serving Refugees Who Survived of Periodontics' Legacy the Opportunities and Rewards 12 Torture, Other Trauma 18 of Excellence 26 of Military Dentistry On Campus Class Notes PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL: Vol. 16, No. 1 2 School News in Brief 37 News from Fellow Alumni University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine www.dental.upenn.edu Faculty Perspective In Memoriam Dean: Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Views on Dental Topics & Trends Remembering Members of the Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement: 11 39 Elizabeth Ketterlinus Penn Dental Medicine Community Associate Dean for Leadership Giving: Maren Gaughan Research Spotlight Director, Publications: Beth Adams 16 Translating Science to Practice 2019/2020 Calendar Contributing Writers: Beth Adams, Juliana Delany, Debbie Goldberg, Katie Unger Baillie Upcoming Events & Programs 40 Design: Dyad Communications Academic Update Photography: Mark Garvin, Peter Olson 22 Department/Faculty News & Scholarship Printing: The Pearl Group at CRW Graphics ON THE COVER: As part of a new outreach effort, Office of Institutional Advancement: 215-898-8951 Penn Dental Medicine has partnered with Nationalities Student Perspective Penn Dental Medicine Journal is published twice a year Service Center (NSC), a refugee services organization, by the Office of Communications for the alumni and 31 Views on the Educational Experience which is referring individuals who have survived torture friends of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental and other trauma to the School for dental care without Medicine. ©2019 by the Trustees of the University of Alumni Highlights paying out of pocket. Clients of NSC painted stones as Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. The views expressed in 32 Profiles, Gatherings & Engagement part of a wellness exercise. See story on the outreach, this publication are not necessarily those of Penn Dental page 12. Medicine. We would like to get your feedback — address all correspondence to: Beth Adams, Director of Publications, Robert Schattner Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, 240 South 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104–6030, [email protected]. PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2019 1 ONCAMPUS SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Care Center for Persons with Department of Basic, Disabilities Plans Moving Forward Translational Sciences Plans are moving forward for the next key capital project at Penn Dental Medicine — a Care Center for Persons with Disabilities. With the goal of Unifying Research opening in the fall of 2020, the Center will be designed to establish the School This summer, Penn Dental Medicine unified its basic science departments, forming the as a leader in educating students to provide care for patients with disabilities newly organized Department of Basic and and in serving this population. Translational Sciences. Designed to support “Nearly a third of our patient popula- and advance research across the School, the goal of the unification is to utilize the research tion has a significant disability requiring infrastructure that is in place to foster even assistance of one form or another. This greater interdisciplinary work. The new de- isn’t a special need — it’s a basic need,” partment combines the former departments says Morton Amsterdam Dean Mark of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Pathology. Wolff. “Training dentists who can make a “This consolidation allows us to span difference for every member of society is a common research between lab groups and responsibility we take seriously.” optimize laboratory space based on similar research interests, increasing collaboration Approximately 5,000-square-feet on the second floor of the School’s Robert between individuals and creating synergy to Schattner Center will be allocated to create the Center, a space that will be leverage the collective potential of all faculty,” specifically designed for patients with disabilities. It is proposed to feature 12 says Morton Amsterdam Dean Mark Wolff. “It operatories, all of which will accommodate wheelchairs. Some rooms will also will also provide additional opportunities for interaction between graduate and postdoc- be outfitted with hover dental chairs and at least one room will accommodate toral students and between our basic science patients on a gurney. In addition, a stimulation room with low lighting and sound and clinical faculty as clinical research will be baffling will serve patients with sensory sensitivities. All students will gain incorporated into each division.” Serving as Acting-Chair of the direct experience treating patients in the Center and will be expertly trained Department is Dr. Robert Ricciardi with to handle the unique needs of people with sensory impairments, behavioral Dr. Henry Daniell and Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto problems, psychosocial issues, and other conditions requiring sensitive and as Vice-Chairs; the three led the School’s former comprehensive handling. departments of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology, respectively. The Center is part of the ongoing Power of Penn Dental Medicine Cam- “Drs. Ricciardi, Daniell, and Jordan-Sciutto paign; for information on ways to support the project, contact Maren Gaughan, bring great vision and insight as we shape and Associate Dean for Leadership Giving, [email protected], 215–898–8952 or define this new Department together,” adds visit www.dental.upenn.edu/campaign/community to learn more. Dean Wolff. 2 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU By the Numbers: Recent Grads & Incoming Students CLASS OF 2019 OF THE 147-MEMBER CLASS OF 2019 WENT ON TO 70.7% POSTDOCTORAL STUDY 27.3% pursued general practice 2% entered military practice Well prepared as they move on, the pass rates on the NBDE and ADEX exams were: 95.2% on NBDE Part 1 (national average 86.7%) 96.7% on NBDE Part 2 (best performance on Part 2 over 10 years of data; nat. avg. 91.4%) 97.8% on Restorative Clinical ADEX (nat. avg. 95%) Penn Dental Renews Exchange with 99.3% on Periodontics Clinical ADEX (nat. avg. 98%) 99.3% on DSC written exam (nat. avg. 98%) Hadassah School of Dental Medicine 99.3% on Prosthodontics Mannequin ADEX Building upon its global engagement, Penn and son played central roles in its history. In 1997, (nat. avg. 93%) Dental Medicine has renewed ties with Hebrew these efforts were celebrated with the creation of 95.9% Endodontics Mannequin ADEX (nat. avg. 89%) University-Hadassah School of Dental Medi- the D. Walter Cohen, D.D.S. Middle East Center cine in Jerusalem, Israel, signing a Memoran- for Dental Education at Hebrew University. dum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate The Power of Partnership dinner cele- CLASS OF 2021 PASS STUDENTS collaborative exchange and research with bration, held June 18 at the National Museum FOREIGN-TRAINED DENTISTS faculty and students.