Fall 2021 Penn Dental Medicine Journal

PDMJ PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021

INNOVATION AT DENTAL, ENGINEERING INTERFACE CENTER FOR INNOVATION & PRECISION DENTISTRY ADVANCING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, TRAINING

FROM THE DEAN

Advancing Care across Disciplines, Borders I FIRST WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY to acknowledge the ongoing resilience and great work of our Penn Dental Medicine students, faculty, and staff, as they have continued to advance our mission of education, research, and patient care despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Keeping each other and the patients we serve safe and healthy remains at the forefront for us as a community, and I thank everyone for their ongoing commitment to that shared goal. Thankfully, the COVID-19 vaccine is allowing us to begin to gather in person, and while the pandemic is far from over, with safety protocols in place, it has been wonderful to see the renewed energy across the Penn campus this academic year.

Here at the School, we have continued to move new initiatives forward that are engaging us in collaborations across disciplines and across borders. In partnership with Penn Engineering, our new Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry took significant steps in its education and research programs with a training grant now in place and inaugural innovation awards presented to advance research at the intersection of engineering and dentistry (see story, page 10).

And in July, we welcomed Dr. Michael Glick to lead our new Center for Integrative Global Oral Health (see story, page 16), the School’s first policy center. With a depth of experience in academic dentistry and the global arena, he is helping to set the course for the Center and recruit key faculty.

We are also building our junior faculty from within through the School’s DScD program. Dr. Kang Ko in the Department of Periodontics is the latest to join a cohort of six faculty members who have come through the DScD program (see story, page 28).

And this summer, our newest advanced graduate degree program — the Master of Oral Health Sciences — welcomed its first class of students (see story, page 5).

This summer also marked a significant milestone for the University and Penn Dental Medicine with the conclusion of The Power of Penn capital campaign on June 30 — Penn’s most successful fundraising and engagement effort ever undertaken, and in turn, the most successful for Penn Dental Medicine as well (see story, page 2).

Through the campaign, 3,727 donors contributed a record $70 million to advance the School’s mission, and we are honored to recognize their generosity in the report packaged with this issue.

The campaign’s success is a testament to the outstanding support of alumni, donors, and friends and the leadership and commitment of volunteers. I thank you all for your dedication to Penn Dental Medicine.

Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Morton Amsterdam Dean

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Advancing the Intersection of Dentistry, Engineering Bringing engineering approaches to address unmet oral health needs

On Campus School News in Brief Faculty Perspective Views on Dental Topics & Trends Student Perspective Views on the Educational Experience Research Spotlight Translating Science to Practice

ON THE COVER: Dr. Geelsu Hwang, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences and a core member of the School’s Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD) is developing a smart dental implant that resists bacterial growth and generates its own electricity through chewing and brushing to power a tissue-rejuvenating light.

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Q+A with Michael Glick A conversation with the newly appointed Executive Director of the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health

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Forging a Path to Academic Dentistry Recent alumnus, Dr. Kang Ko, joins periodontics faculty

Academic Update Department/Faculty News & Scholarship

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL: Vol. 18, No. 1 University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine www.dental.upenn.edu

Alumni Highlights Profiles, Gatherings & Engagement

Dean: Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement: Elizabeth Ketterlinus Associate Dean for Leadership Giving: Maren Gaughan Director, Publications: Beth Adams Contributing Writers: Beth Adams, Juliana Delany, Debbie Goldberg, Christina Hernandez Sherwood, Katherine Unger Baillie Photography: Kevin Monko Office of Institutional Advancement: 215-898-8951

Class Notes News from Fellow Alumni In Memoriam Remembering Members of the Penn Dental Medicine Community

Penn Dental Medicine Journal is published twice a year by the Office of Communications for the alumni and friends of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. ©2021 by the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Penn Dental 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, adamsnb@upenn.edu.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 1

ONCAMPUS

SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF

DENTAL MEDICINE

Power of Penn Campaign: Record Impact June 30, 2021 marked the conclusion of the The Power of Penn campaign — the University’s most successful fundraising and engagement effort ever

3,727DONORS $70M RAISED “We’ve fortified our reputation for innovation and created new pathways toward improved and more equitable oral health.”

— DR. MARK S. WOLFF

undertaken, and in turn, the most successful for Penn Dental Medicine as well.

University-wide the campaign raised more than $5.4 billion, exceeding the initial campaign goal, while at Penn Dental Medicine, 3,727 donors contributed a record $70 million to advance the School’s mission of education, research, and patient care (see the donor report packaged with this issue).

The campaign’s success and impact is a testament to the strength and engagement of Penn Dental Medicine’s faculty, staff, and student community; the outstanding support of alumni, donors, and friends; and the leadership and generosity of volunteers.

“This Campaign has positioned our extraordinary school to build upon our leadership role. We’ve fortified our reputation for innovation and created new pathways toward improved and more equitable oral health,” says Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean, Dr. Mark S. Wolff. “At the same time, we’ve expanded the impact of our research and

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drawn attention to what should be obvious to all: oral health matters.”

Among campaign accomplishments, the School: • Revolutionized the future of dental education and treatment through new and upgraded facilities, including the Robert I. Schattner Clinic, the Henry Schein Cares Clinic, the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, and two new digital design centers.

• Positioned Penn to make tomorrow’s breakthroughs in oral health by recruiting world-class experts in dental ceramics, oral medicine, biofilm, the oral microbiome, bone biology, and periodontics.

• Expanded accessibility and outreach to diverse communities across Philadelphia, by adding a new care site at Puentes de Salud, expanding two established sites at Mercy LIFE and Sayre Health Center, and acquiring a new PennSmiles mobile dental care van.

• Reached tens of thousands of oral health providers around the world through our continuing education programming and online Coursera courses.

• Launched the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health (see related story, page 16), which will bring specialists in multiple fields together to raise awareness about the critical link between oral health and overall health and explore innovative approaches to the prevention and treatment of dental disease.

Members of the School’s Board of Advisors played key leadership roles in the campaign.

Serving as Campaign Co-Chairs during the first part of the campaign were Dr. Richard Coppell (D’80) and Dr. David S. Tarica (D’83) followed

by Dr. William W.M. Cheung (D’81, GD’82) and Dr. David Tai-Man Shen (D’79, GD’81) until the campaign conclusion in June.

By the Numbers: Recent Grads & Incoming Students CLASS OF 2021

66.2% New Online Continuing Dental Education Portal Live When the onset of the pandemic required a shift to online/virtual learning, Penn Dental Medicine’s continuing education quickly adapted­­— since March 2020, 257 online lectures have been presented with over 53,000 learners and the programming only continues to grow. To manage a robust calendar of offerings, the School has launched a new e-learning platform for online and hybrid learning programs and for housing a library of lectures that can be viewed at any time.

Learners simply set up an account to access the new continuing dental education portal (www.dental.upenn.edu/cde_online). The portal is also a learning management system where learners can manage their own profiles, customize their learning, and maintain the course credit histories.

The majority of continuing education lectures offered through the portal are free to view. Among the offerings: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PRESENTATION SERIES This series is aimed at building awareness of the barriers to equitable oral health for individuals with disabilities and developing competency to provide oral health care to this vulnerable population. Dentists completing 18 or more of the courses within a three-year period, all of which are free, will receive a certificate of completion from Penn Dental Medicine as a Disabilities Dentistry Clinician Expert.

INTEGRATIVE GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH LECTURE SERIES Organized through the School’s Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, this free series features thought leaders on topics related to global oral health, ranging from determinants of oral health inequalities to population-wide approaches to prevention.

CLINICAL SPECIALTY LECTURE SERIES The School’s clinical departments have regularly occurring lecture series on topics within their respective disciplines. The series include: • Penn Orthodontic Department Lecture Series

33.1% entered specialty programs 33.1% entered AEGD or General Practice Residency

21.4% entered private practice 1.9% entered the military 3.3% other

CLASS OF 2023 PASS STUDENTS

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• Louis I. Grossman Lecture Series (endodontics) • Quarterly Combined TMJ Lecture Series

FOREIGN-TRAINED DENTISTS (28 WOMEN AND 12 MEN) JOINED THE 2ND-YEAR CLASS IN JANUARY 2021 AS PART OF THE PASS PROGRAM

12 countries are represented in this 35th PASS class (Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Palestine, Peru, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, and Venezuela).

CLASS OF 2025 DMD STUDENTS

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• The Excellence in Restorative Dentistry Lecture Series • Dr. Rodrigo Neiva presents the Department of Periodontics Chair’s Lecture Series

OF THE 154-MEMBER CLASS OF 2021 WENT ON TO POSTDOCTORAL STUDY

STUDENTS MAKE UP THE FRESHMAN CLASS, 106 WOMEN (LARGEST CLASS OF WOMEN IN SCHOOL’S HISTORY) AND 44 MEN SELECTED FROM 2,174 APPLICANTS. THE OVERALL GPA OF THE CLASS IS 3.76.

states, the District of Columbia, and 5 foreign countries (Canada, India, Iran, Nigeria, and Taiwan) are represented.

45K hours of community service by the class members.

36% of the class have a relative who is a dentist or other dental professional.

• S. Gary Cohen Conference (oral medicine) • OMFS Lecture Series View full continuing education program schedule at www.dental.upenn.edu/cde.

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foreign languages spoken (Arabic, Aramaic, Berber, Chinese, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Igbo, Italian, Kannada, Korean, Latin, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukranian, Urdo, and Turkish) as well as American Sign Language.

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ONCAMPUS On Board: New Chair, New Members Penn Dental Medicine has named a new Chair of its Board of Advisors and welcomes two new Board members as well. Taking on the leadership role as Chair is Dr. David Shen (D’79, GD’81) and joining the Board is Ruchi Goel and Dr. Allen Finkelstein. All three appointments were officially approved by the University of Pennsylvania’s Board of Trustees at its June meeting.

Dr. David Shen (D’79, GD’81)

Ruchi Goel

“I am honored to be serving Penn Dental Medicine in this capacity,” says Dr. Shen, who succeeds Dr. William Cheung (D’81, GD’82), who served as Chair since 2008. “I look forward to helping the School continue to build upon the many new initiatives undertaken over the past several years and engage the Board members in that process.”

Dr. Shen brings years of active engagement with the School to this new position. A member of the Board of Advisors since 2012, Dr. Shen has also served as Co-Chair of the Power of Penn Dental Medicine capital campaign. The campaign, which concluded with the close of the fiscal year on June 30, raised approximately $70 million for School facilities and programs (see related story, page 2).

A Penn Dental Medicine alumnus, Dr. Shen earned both his DMD and specialty certificate in orthodontics at the School (see related story, page 32).

Bringing a depth of experience in business and finance to the Board is Ruchi Goel, whose career experience includes serving as an investment banker, finance executive, and venture capitalist within the technology industry. She has negotiated and executed over $2 billion in technology merger and acquisition transactions, and has managed teams and budgets of over

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Dr. Allen Finkelstein

Chief Dental Officer of AmeriChoice/United Health Group, which insures over 3.5 million individuals in dental coverage through CHIP/ Medicaid. Dr. Finkelstein is active on a diversity of boards, serving on the New Jersey Dental Medicaid Advisory Committee; New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island Coalitions of Oral Health; the American Friends of the Hebrew University New York Advisory Board; the Children’s Health Project Board; and the Shils Entrepreneurial Education Fund of the American Dental Association (Vice Chairman), among others. A member of the New York Academy of Sciences, he is also a member of the advisory board for Healthy Smiles-Healthy Families Oral Health for Children in California’s Healthy Families Program and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Children’s Dental Health Project, Washington, DC. Dr. Finkelstein is a former Post Preventive Dental Officer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, receiving the Army Commendation Medal for

“I look forward to helping the School continue to build upon the many new initiatives undertaken over the past several years and engage the Board in that process.”

– DR. DAVID SHEN

$1 billion, while working for blue chip companies such as Goldman Sachs and Hewlett Packard.

Ms. Goel recently led business development at Labo America, Inc. for its Labomed product line, a leading global brand of microscopes. She developed key partnerships for Labomed’s medical and dental operating microscopes, and currently serves on the company’s Board of Directors.

Presently, Ms. Goel is a licensed real estate advisor with Compass. Her work in real estate includes residential real estate development and serving clients in their home sale or purchase.

She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of California at Berkeley.

Also joining the Penn Dental Medicine Board of Advisors is Dr. Allen Finkelstein, CEO of Bedford HealthCare Solutions and the former

the Preventive Dental Program developed to reduce caries and emergencies for the U.S. Army Dental Corp during the Vietnam War. He also served on the forensic staff at the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office after September 11th and currently is an advisor to the New York City Department of Health for the New York Cares Health Improvement Program.

A longtime proponent of integrated dental and medical care, Dr. Finkelstein has lectured widely on the subject of early childhood caries and the need for medical/dental integration to achieve the establishment of a quality outcome-based health home.

Dr. Finkelstein earned his DDS with honors from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1969 and was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the A.T. Still University (Hon) in 2009.

New Admissions Team

Master of Oral Health Sciences Welcomes First Class of Students Penn Dental Medicine welcomed the first class of students to its new Master of Oral Health Sciences (MOHS) program this summer with six students entering the track for predental students in August.

“We are thrilled with our first cohort of students,” says Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Student Research, who co-directs the program with Dr. Sunday Akintoye, Associate Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine. “They are eager to explore TOP: Dean Mark Wolff and the first class dental medicine as they prepare for applying to of MOHS students. dental school.”

BOTTOM: The class in orientation with The MOHS track for predental students program Co-Director Dr. Sunday Akintoye. is designed for college graduates who want additional training and credentials to prepare for successful admissions to dental school. A second track of the program is for graduates of non-U.S. dental schools also preparing to apply to a U.S. dental school; the first class of this track will enter with the next admissions cycle in the summer of 2022.

Candidates in both tracks rotate within the School’s general restorative and specialty clinics and the coursework is adapted from the first and second years of the dental school curriculum with the program culminating in a capstone project. Along with enhancing academic knowledge in basic and clinical sciences and providing exposure to clinical dental care, the program helps to build communications skills and provides mentoring for the application process and admissions interviews.

Plans are also underway to launch another new advanced graduate degree program at Penn Dental Medicine — the Master of Advanced Dental Studies (MADS). A one-year program in seven dental specialties, it is designed for practicing clinicians who wish to enhance their knowledge in a clinical discipline or for international dentists to improve their qualifications when applying to U.S. residency programs. It is anticipated that the MADS will welcome its first student cohort in the summer of 2022.

Learn more on the advanced graduate degree programs at www.dental.upenn.edu/AdvancedDegrees.

Penn Dental Medicine has named new leadership within its Office of Admissions, recruiting Mark Mitchell as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Brian Hahn as Director of Admissions. Their appointments were effective November 1 and October 1, respectively.

With 29 years of experience in the field, Mitchell comes to Penn Dental Medicine from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Dentistry, where since 2003, he has served as an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean for Admissions and Students Affairs. As Associate Dean, he has been responsible for the areas of recruitment, retention, admissions, student life, registration and enrollment, and diversity and inclusion efforts.

Prior to his time at OHSU, Mitchell served as Director of Recruitment and Evaluation within the University of Southern California (USC) School of Dentistry Office of Admissions and Student Affairs (1994– 2003). He holds a M.A. in Higher Education Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University (1994).

Mark Mitchell

Brian Hahn

Brian Hahn joins Penn Dental Medicine from Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University where he has served as Director of Admissions since 2003. During his time with Temple, Hahn has managed admissions to Kornberg’s four-year DMD program, its advanced standing DMD program for students with international dental degrees, and its postbaccalaureate program. Prior to his post at Temple, Hahn worked as a certified Expanded Functions Dental Assistant from 1997 to 2003.

He holds a B.A. in Organizational Dynamics from Temple University.

Hahn succeeds Corky Cacas, who retired June 30 after 26 years as Director of Admissions, (see related story, page 37).

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ONCAMPUS “In practice, you get the instant gratification of making someone feel better.

In research, you’re not going to change someone’s life right away, but you are going to solve important problems for the long run.”

STUDENT PROFILE: ALISA LEE (D’22)

— ALISA LEE (D’22)

When Research Opportunity Knocks Fourth-year DMD student Alisa Lee (D'22) has excelled at research on a variety of fronts throughout her time at Penn Dental Medicine.

When Alisa Lee (D’22) decided to apply to dental school, she was looking for opportunities for research, the kind that would make a real difference in people’s health and a meaningful contribution to the world of dentistry.

As a fourth-year DMD student at Penn Dental Medicine, she has already made great strides toward her research goals, publishing five papers, completing a research gap year, and winning a prestigious research fellowship.

Born in South Korea, Lee immigrated to Canada when she was 10, and grew up in Vancouver and Seattle. In seventh grade, when a teacher assigned an in-depth exploration of a potential career, she chose dentistry because she liked the way it combined science with hands-on skills. Years later, as a chemistry major at Cornell, a stint as an editor on a student research journal and a medical service trip to Honduras solidified her interest in health care, and dentistry in particular. She applied to 10 dental schools and chose Penn Dental Medicine.

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AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN ORAL HEALTH RESEARCH Halfway through her first year, Lee applied to Penn Dental Medicine’s research honors program, and that summer she started working on her first dental research project. In the lab of her mentor, Dr. Anh Le, Chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, she began to study the ways in which a type of cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) interact with cancer cells and tumor microenvironment, creating a community that communicates through messenger molecules.

Focusing on tongue cancer and oral pharyngeal cancer, the team explored the ways in which these cells affect movements in the cell community, including tumor growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance.

Her interest in research grew as she served as vice president and then president of the Vernon Brightman Research Society, the primary student research organization at Penn Dental Medicine. The group, the

School’s chapter of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Student Research Group, promotes interest and awareness in student research, hosting an annual dental research expo and a “research speed-dating” event that pairs incoming first-year students with potential research opportunities.

A GAP YEAR AND A FELLOWSHIP Between her second and third years, Lee learned about another research-related opportunity, a gap year as a Medical Research Scholar at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Although it was hard to leave campus and her classmates, she decided the experience was too good to pass up. Among others, she worked on a project that measured the activity of enzymes in patients with hyperphosphatemic familial tumor calcinosis (HFTC), a rare genetic disorder in which patients present with a unique teeth phenotype featuring abnormal calcifications. Her team’s work resulted in two journal articles published earlier this year.

Returning to Dr. Anh Le’s lab after a rewarding year at NIH, she jumped right into another research project, this one on stem cells. Using dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) gathered through wisdom tooth extractions, the team explored the possibility of using these cells to regenerate bone in patients with craniofacial injuries and deformities. Creating a small bone defect in the jaws of rats, they introduced DPSC in the form of cost-effective

nanoparticle messengers. Results have been promising, showing that the procedure can indeed restore bone defects faster.

Lee was chosen to present this research at the 2021 annual meeting of the AADOCR, and at the same meeting, she was awarded the AADOCR Student Research Fellowship, which was created to promote interest among students in oral health research. The fellowship, which recognizes the creativity of the winning research project as well as its potential significance to the field of oral health, will help fund her continued work on DPSC and bone regeneration in rats.

FACULTY MENTORS WHO CARE Lee believes her early success was made possible through the support of her mentors who always had her best interests in mind.

“Dr. Anh Le has been a fantastic mentor who has supported me every step of the way, guiding me toward my professional goals,” she says. “She is someone I really look up to.”

Research Assistant Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Dr. Qunzhou Zhang also has been pivotal in answering her day-to-day research questions and helping shape her research direction, she adds. And Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Student Research, helped Lee plan and prepare her winning AADOCR fellowship application.

“I can tell that they really do care about advancing student research at the school,” she says.

A BRIGHT FUTURE IN ACADEMIA With impressive experience already on her resume and her eyes on her next step, Lee has already applied to pediatric dental residencies at Penn Dental Medicine and other schools.

She believes she will eventually earn a master’s or PhD and seek a career in academia that will allow her to continue to pursue research, teach, and see patients.

“In practice, you get the instant gratification of making someone feel better. In research, you’re not going to change someone’s life right away, but you are going to solve important problems for the long run,” she says. “Research is the way to move the field of dentistry forward.”

Students Serving ASDA on National Level Three Penn Dental Medicine students are serving as national leaders of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), representing District 3. This year, Penn Dental Medicine represents three of the four students from District 3 appointed to serve on National ASDA. Ryan Kaminsky (D’23) is District 3 Trustee on the Board of Trustees. Julie Berenblum (D’23) was appointed Council on Membership Associate, and Ryan Kaminsky (D‘23) Hilary Wong (D’24) is Council on Communications Associate. All three students are serving a one-year term through February 2022.

Before his appointment as a District 3 Trustee, Ryan Kaminsky served the ASDA in several leadership roles, including District 3 Advocacy Consultant and President-Elect of the Penn Dental Medicine ASDA Chapter. As District Trustee, Kaminsky acts as the official liaison between the local chapters, the district, and national ASDA. Both Julie Berenblum and Hilary Wong served in predental leadership roles within the ASDA prior Julie Berenblum (D‘23) to their acceptance into Penn Dental Medicine. Since being at Penn Dental Medicine, Berenblum has served as a District 3 Events Coordinator for the Meetings Committee, planning the leadership and annual conferences. In her new role as Council on Membership Associate, she is working alongside other council members to assess and develop resources that meet the needs of ASDA’s members and chapters and assist with membership initiatives.

As a first-year dental student, Hilary Wong served as the District 3 Social Media Coordinator, working Hilary Wong (D‘24) closely with other team leaders to grow the ASDA District 3 Instagram page. As National ASDA Council on Communications Associate, she is helping to create videos to disseminate on various media channels regarding national ASDA initiatives, such as webinars, advocacy activities, wellness programs, and more.

“It is important to use our voices to speak out on issues that matter, for people that matter,” says Wong. “ASDA allows us to start cultivating these lifelong skills. It is an honor to serve on committees that are at the forefront of advocating for these important changes in our profession.”

The ASDA introduces nearly 90 percent of all dental students to lifelong involvement in organized dentistry and provides services, information, education, representation, and advocacy.

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ONCAMPUS

Researchers Take Top Awards Penn Dental Medicine researchers were recognized for their excellence in research with top awards from the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). The awards were presented at this year’s AADOCR/ IADR/Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR) General Session, held virtually in July.

Thomas W. Evans Collection Display Grows Dr. Yuan Liu

Dr. Chenshuang Li

IADR JOSEPH LISTER AWARD FOR NEW INVESTIGATORS Dr. Yuan Liu, a Research Associate in the Division of Restorative Dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine, is the 2021 recipient of the IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators.

Through her research, as part of the research lab of Dr. Michel Koo in the Department of Orthodontics and Divisions of Community Oral Health and Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Liu is working to understand caries etiopathology and develop novel anticaries approaches. Among her recent areas of study was a new bi-functional nanotechnology combining natural enzymes with catalytic nanoparticles that can precisely disrupt cariogenic biofilms and prevent caries onset.

IADR INNOVATION AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ORTHODONTICS RESEARCH Dr. Chenshuang Li, Assistant Professor of Orthodontics, received the 2021 IADR Innovation Award for Excellence in Orthodontics Research for her work on a study titled “Craniosynostosis-Related Molecule Nell-1 has Distinctive Functions in Neurological Anomalies.” Nell-1, a well-known osteoinductive protein, was first identified in the

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Dr. Zhi Ren

prematurely fused sutures of craniosynostosis patients. Dr. Li’s study demonstrated that Nell-1 also affects brain functions and is one of the molecules shared by craniofacial bone and the neural system, which may open a new avenue for therapy development.

AADOCR AND IADR HATTON AWARDS Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Zhi Ren has the unique distinction of being a double winner of both the 2021 Hatton Awards in the AADOCR and the IADR; the Hatton Awards are the longest running and the most competitive awards that recognize outstanding young dental researcher talents.

As a dentist-scientist, Dr. Ren joined the lab of Dr. Michel Koo at Penn Dental Medicine in 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow. His research focuses on understanding how bacterial and fungal pathogens interact in the oral cavity to form a sticky plaque (biofilm) on teeth, which gives rise to early childhood caries (ECC). In his recent project, for which he received the Hatton Awards, Dr. Ren discovered a new microbial consortium naturally present in the saliva of children that have ECC, where the fungi and bacteria behave as a single unit, acting in concert to protect themselves from antimicrobials and to strengthen their ability to initiate disease-causing biofilms.

Artifacts from the collection of Dr. Thomas Evans, a visible part of the fabric of Penn Dental Medicine, continue to illuminate the life and times of Dr. Evans, Penn Dental Medicine’s earliest benefactor. A special piece of furniture was recently added to the items on display — a Napoleon III-era, ormolu-mounted kingwood and tulipwood marquetry Biblioteque. The piece was part of the original Evans collection at the School until the 1940’s and was gifted to Mary Kolb, Alumni Secretary for the School at that time, in honor of her longtime service to the alumni office. Her family thoughtfully returned the piece this past summer. It now stands in the office of Dean Mark Wolff, displaying some of the rare books collected by Thomas Evans, as well as those collected by Edward Cameron Kirk, the School’s third dean, who oversaw construction of the Evans building.

The Biblioteque also houses Dean Wolff’s collection of first editions by G.V. Black — considered by many as the father of operative dentistry.

The Friends of the Thomas W. Evans Collection, led by Dr. Peter Quinn (D’74, GD’78), Dr. Gary Cohen, and Dr. Mark Nestor (D’87, GD’88), was formed in 2016 to help ensure the ongoing display and preservation of the Evans Collection for the enjoy­ment of the Penn Dental Medicine community. To join or support the Friends group, contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus at ekett@upenn.edu.

FACULTYPERSPECTIVE VIEWS ON DENTAL TOPICS & TRENDS

individuals with facial differences, their families, and medical professionals. It is designed to educate the community to the unique challenges faced by children born with craniofacial differences. Each child’s journey is unique, and not only requires medical treatment, but very often, social components. During the gallery show, guest medical specialists and patients with facial differences and their families discuss their personal journeys.

It is a great gathering for everyone involved. Through Philly Phaces, it is an honor to contribute to our ongoing legacy of training superb, compassionate caregivers.

Contributed by Dr. Kenneth Kent, Philly Phaces Faculty Advisor, pictured with Ashten Nguyen (D’23), a Philly Phaces at Penn Dental Medicine Vice President

Philly Phaces at Penn Dental Medicine Penn Dental Medicine provides outstanding forums for our students to express themselves, fostering social interaction and community service and promoting personal and professional development. A wide diversity of student organizations and student chapters of professional organizations help Penn Dental Medicine students expand their horizons beyond the classrooms, laboratories, and clinics. I have had the pleasure of serving as a faculty advisor and mentor for a number of these groups, including Philly Phaces at Penn Dental Medicine, a group launched by students in 2018 to support the local nonprofit Philly Phaces, which provides peer support, advocacy, and resources for those with facial anomalies.

Philly Phaces at Penn Dental Medicine is a group of students committed to increasing their social awareness and learning about individuals with craniofacial abnormalities and their families. Activities have included developing a student selective, engaging over 100 students who viewed and discussed films and attended seminars with invited medical and dental specialists.

Topics discussed include: • Emotions and questions parents experience when their child is born with a congenital facial abnormality, including issues related to health concerns, social obstacles, and emotional impact.

• How as dentists we can care for and provide guidance for children and their families.

• Strategies to manage bullying that often happens to children with facial differences.

Students participating in Philly Phaces become part of the professional community of support able to answer these monumental questions and concerns, understanding the importance of having access to the resources necessary to ensure all children experience the best that life has to offer. Our students work with Philly Phaces members and their families as Penn Pals and contribute to a Philly Phaces Blog on topics that range from facial anomalies to how to become a dental student and dental specialist.

A key event of our Philly Phaces group has been an annual Philly Phaces Photo Gallery featuring portraits and personal stories of

Paying it Forward Stephen Len is the Co-Founder and President of Philly Phaces and a parent who has been personally impacted by the life-changing work being performed everyday by the surgical and mental health professionals in the Philadelphia area, as well as the efforts of our Penn Dental Medicine students.

Philly Phaces (www.phillyphaces.org) is a grassroots, nonprofit community of volunteers made up of parents, health professionals, and young adults with congenital facial abnormalities. The community of Philly Phaces is devoted to paying it forward, striving to empower the children, adults, and families facing appearance differences in the city of “Brotherly Love” by providing structured peer support, advocacy, and resources to those in need.

As a parent, Len appreciates all those dedicated and passionate about bringing to bear their experiences and resources to help children and their families navigate the medical, social, and psychological issues associated with appearance differences and with the Philly Phaces organization has donated funds to establish a Philly Phaces Scholarship for Penn Dental Medicine students. The first award will be made in 2022 in conjunction with the School’s commencement festivities.

"Philly Phaces is so grateful for the interest and efforts of the Penn Dental Philly Phaces Club and proudly funds a scholarship to show our gratitude,” says Len. For more information on the scholarship or how to support the group, contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus, Vice Dean for Institutional Advancement, ekett@upenn.edu.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 9

ADVANCING THE INTERSECTION OF DENTISTRY, ENGINEERING

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PENN ENGINEERING, THE CENTER FOR INNOVATION & PRECISION DENTISTRY (CiPD) IS BRINGING ENGINEERING APPROACHES TO ADDRESS UNMET ORAL HEALTH NEEDS A BABY BOTTLE FOR CHILDREN born with cleft palate. Chewing gum to break up plaque and prevent tooth decay — or even COVID-19. A mouth guard that can detect infectious particles in saliva.

OPPOSITE: Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo of Penn Dental Medicine and Dr. Kathleen Stebe of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science co-direct the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD).

Through the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD), these and other creative approaches to solving oral-health-related challenges have the potential to move from idea to reality.

The Center, launched in January of this year, already has been awarded a major training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), received and presented awards for new technologies, and published papers on the new findings. Plus, it has established a network of partners across the University and beyond to push each other forward in studying and developing solutions to pressing challenges in oral health care.

“Today, 3.5 billion people still have oral diseases that are preventable, such as tooth decay and periodontal disease,” says Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, CiPD’s Co-Director and Professor in Penn Dental Medicine’s

Department of Orthodontics and Divisions of Pediatrics and Community Oral Health.

“We need to come up with more precise, more effective approaches to target the people who need them the most and make sure they’re accessible and affordable.”

To accelerate progress toward helping with these and other oral health conditions, Dr. Koo conceived and brought to fruition the CiPD in partnership with Dr. Kathleen Stebe of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. The effort unites the two schools — and the respective expertise and resources within them — to support ideas that can transform oral-craniofacial care and usher in new clinical treatments and preventive strategies to safeguard health.

“This partnership between Penn Engineering and Penn Dental Medicine will advance new paradigms to attack oral health

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 11

DENTISTRYENGINEERING

“We’re providing a platform for them [dentists and engineers] to work together to address unmet clinical needs and develop careers in that interface.”

– DR. HYUN (MICHEL) KOO

challenges and train the next generation of researchers steeped in engineering approaches in this space,” says Dr. Stebe, Co-Director of CiPD and Richer & Elizabeth Goodwin Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

TOMORROW’S INNOVATORS A major step forward for the initiative came this summer, when the researchers were awarded a T90/R90 grant from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research.

The grant, titled “Advanced Training at the Interface of Engineering and Oral-Craniofacial Sciences,” will be co-led by Drs. Koo and Stebe; it provides nearly $2.5 million over five years to train postdoctoral-level fellows at the intersection of the disciplines, helping them apply cutting-edge approaches in engineering and computational sciences to study disease mechanisms and develop precise yet low-cost diagnostics, therapies, and devices.

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“We’re hoping the grant will promote cross-pollination and create a culture between these two fields to help dentists develop innovative strategies with engineers,” says Dr. Koo. “Dentists can learn from engineering principles and tools, and engineers can understand more about the needs of the dental and craniofacial fields. We’re providing a platform for them to work together to address unmet clinical needs and develop careers in that interface.”

The training program, which plans to welcome its first participants within this academic year, aims to specifically focus on the oral microbiome, host immunity, and tissue regeneration, each of which ties into different aspects of oral health, from tooth decay and periodontal disease to the needs of head and neck cancer patients. To advance these areas, emerging approaches — from advanced materials, robotics, and artificial

intelligence to chloroplast engineering and nanotechnology — will be leveraged.

With a commitment to diversifying the workforce in this area, the program is partnering with universities traditionally underrepresented in postdoctoral training as well as minority-serving institutions. They’re also connecting with diversity programs within the American Dental Association and American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

As part of the two-year training, each postdoc will receive mentorship from clinicians, basic scientists, as well as engineers.

These mentorships will be focused on research outcomes and readying participants to submit grants and compete for positions in academia or industry.

“This is a career-defining opportunity for outstanding postdoctoral researchers to define new engineering, computational, and applied science approaches in the oral health regime,” says Dr. Stebe. “We hope highly motivated scholars are attracted by the program’s custom-fit training and support.”

Part of the program will involve partnerships with industry, so the postdoctoral trainees can more deeply understand product development and regulatory hurdles. “The trainees will be visiting the R&D facilities of Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson so they can see the underpinnings of how research outcome gets to market,” says Dr. Koo. And, the CiPD team hopes to recruit more companies to engage with the trainees. (Learn more and apply to the training program at www.dental.upenn.edu/CiPD_T90R90)

PLAUDITS AND SUPPORT To encourage established scientists and clinicians to devote time toward projects that leverage engineering in support of meeting oral health needs, the CiPD is awarding seed funds that address gaps in oral health needs and do so in a cost-effective way.

In a partnership with Jason Moore of Penn’s Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBI), the Center is exploring artificial intelligence applications to find new ways to analyze big data and predict diseases, design more effective therapies, and assess the effectiveness of existing ones.

Collaborative work between Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang, Associate Professor in Penn Dental Medicine’s Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, and Michael Mitchell of Penn Engineering, supported by CiPD seed funds, has led to a new Department of Defense grant. Their project investigates inflammatory mediators and ionizable lipid nanoparticles to deliver drugs against bone defects, which has implications for people with craniofacial disorders.

A project led by CiPD core member Dr. Henry Daniell, W. D. Miller Professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine, won the inaugural Innovation in Dental Medicine and Engineering to Advance Oral Health (IDEA) Prize, an award developed between the CiPD and Penn Center for Health, Devices, and Technology (Penn Health Tech). This award will help fund a project Dr. Daniell is pursuing with Dr. Daeyon Lee of Penn Engineering titled, “Engineered Chewing Gum for Debulking Biofilm and Oral SARS-CoV-2.”

The collaborative work combines Dr. Daniell’s novel plant-based drug development/delivery platform with Dr. Lee’s novel polymeric

OPPOSITE LEFT: Postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Zhi Ren (left), part of the lab of Dr. Michel Koo (right), is developing new ways to study oral pathogens using real-time microscopy and computational analyses.

Such approaches can improve how tooth decay-causing biofilms might be targeted.

OPPOSITE RIGHT: Senior Scientist, Dr. Edward Steager (left), is applying robotics and nanotechnology to treat root canals and remove dental plaque with high precision and efficacy.

“This partnership between Penn Engineering and Penn Dental Medicine will advance new paradigms to attack oral health challenges and train the next generation of researchers steeped in engineering approaches in this space” – DR. KATHLEEN STEBE

structures to create a chewing gum that could degrade dental biofilms (plaque) and perhaps even deliver biopharmaceuticals to reduce the amount of infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles in saliva.

“This project exemplifies the transformative potential of this interface to develop new solutions to treat oral diseases,” says Dr. Koo. To be awarded annually, the IDEA Prize supports collaborative dental and engineering teams investigating novel ideas using engineering approaches to kick-start competitive proposals for federal funding and/or private sector/industry for commercialization.

Another Center-supported prize also debuted earlier this year — the Advancing Oral and Craniofacial Health Award, under the umbrella of Penn Health Tech Accelerator program. It was presented for the first time to Dr. Eugene Ko, Assistant Professor of Clinical Oral Medicine at Penn Dental Medicine, for a project titled “Baby Seal: Promoting Intrinsic Sucking in Cleft Palate Infant Bottle Feeding.”

In collaboration with Dr. Shu Yang of Penn Engineering, he is developing a specialized bottle system that would promote intrinsic sucking to improve feeding and growth outcomes for children born with cleft palates.

INAUGURAL CiPD INNOVATION AWARDS

IDEA PRIZE Dr. Henry Daniel is working on an affordable chewing gum that prevents tooth decay using his plant-based drug development/delivery platform. Formulated with plant-made, biofilm-degrading enzymes and polymers for retention, it would eliminate dental plaque.

ADVANCING ORAL & CRANIOFACIAL HEALTH AWARD Dr. Eugene Ko is developing a specialized baby bottle for children born with cleft palate. This engineered bottle would promote intrinsic sucking to improve feeding and growth outcomes.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 13

DENTISTRYENGINEERING “Our project would enhance current specialized infant feeding bottle systems by incorporating a novel hydrogel that will allow parents to create a temporary seal over the cleft palate,” explains Dr. Ko. The Center’s work is earning attention from within the University and well beyond.

Dr. Koo was named Emerging Inventor of the Year for 2020 by the Penn Center for Innovation, recognizing his groundbreaking work on developing novel approaches, including nanoparticles and microrobots, to eradicate biofilms.

On a global stage, the International Association for Dental Research named Penn’s César de la Fuente, a Presidential Assistant Professor with joint appointments in Penn Medicine and Penn Engineering, and Dr. Koo, his co-investigator, recipients of the organization’s 2021 Innovation in Oral Health Care Award. This award offers opportunities for investigators to conduct dental research that will have a direct impact on the oral health of the public. Their project, developing a low-cost mouthguard that can sense biomarkers in saliva for the rapid detection of pathogens, will receive $50,000 to continue advancing the technology toward clinical application.

While still in its early days, CiPD’s grand ambitions are already transforming into progress in labs around campus. Moreover, partnerships with Penn Dental Medicine’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Penn Health Tech, IBI, and the Penn Center for Innovation will speed that progress into biotechnologies that, one day soon, may have a tangible impact on care.

“There is a huge opportunity here to revolutionize the field of dental medicine by integrating engineering,” says Dr. Koo. “And to train the experts at the forefront of both fields,” adds Dr. Stebe. n

—By Katherine Unger Baillie

GET INVOLVED: SUPPORT NEXT STEPS

PennPraxis within Penn’s School of Design has designed initial concepts for a building to house the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry. Designed by Prof. Robert Stuart-Smith and the graduate student Patrick Danahy.

As the CiPD looks ahead to its next steps, we invite you to help accelerate our initiatives — join us in transforming the future of oral health care, through support of:

THE HUB

A creative space for trainees, mentors, and researchers to gather to generate new ideas and solutions. The Hub is our steppingstone toward a new state-of-the-art building (pictured above).

INNOVATION ACCELERATOR

Research funds to support innovative projects and kick-start new collaborations to develop and translate new diagnostics, therapies, and devices.

FELLOWSHIPS

Support the next-generation leaders in research and oral health care innovation through CiPD fellowships for graduate students and postdocs pursuing research projects at the dental-engineering interface.

Visit www.dental.upenn.edu/CiPDSupport or for more information, contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus, Vice Dean for Institutional Advancement, ekett@upenn.edu.

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STUDENTPERSPECTIVE VIEWS ON THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Inspiring Area Adolescents

By Kylie Schlesinger (D’22) and Julie Berenblum (D’23) The COVID-19 pandemic offered a time of reflection, and especially in these moments of isolation, we began to crave meaningful interaction with the broader Philadelphia community. In thinking further about how to connect with the community in a valuable way, we considered how we might be able to create an educational and supportive experience for local adolescents with fewer opportunities than we had.

This led us to the creation of Penntorship, a mentoring program for Penn Dental Medicine students geared toward supporting adolescents in our community.

The goal of Penntorship is to facilitate relationships between Penn Dental Medicine students and those at West Philadelphia High School to enhance personal growth and encourage post-secondary exploration and Kylie Schlesinger (D’22, left) and Julie Berenblum (D’23, right) founded this mentoring program for area adolescents.

planning. We also hope the program serves as an outlet for our fellow students to help others and to feel a stronger connection to the West Philadelphia community.

After months of planning, and with the help of Mentor Independence Region and Penn’s Netter Center, we were able to create an outline for the program utilizing a logic model to ensure its sustainability so that Penntorship will last for years to come.

In terms of the specific program design, due to COVID, we launched Penntorship via Zoom, but we have been excited to begin working together in-person this fall. Each mentee from West Philly High School is paired with two Penn Dental Medicine mentors. “Menteams” meet weekly, working on homework, discussing recent events, watching sports games, or focusing on specific needs of the high school students. Some of our favorite memories are reading the mentor post-meeting survey

responses to see the sense of satisfaction mentors felt and watching the relationships grow, whether it be through bonding over 76ers basketball games or the best cheesesteak in Philly. While many mentees began the year reserved, leaving their cameras off during our conversations, they concluded the program by voluntarily turning their cameras on, conveying their increasing confidence and desire to stay connected to their mentors over the summer.

Over the course of the 2020-2021 school year, a total of 185 mentor meetings were held by 56 dental students with 28 high school students. While we were worried the virtual sessions would inhibit the formation of strong relationships, we were so grateful for the hard work put in by the mentors and mentees, enabling them to overcome this obstacle and create meaningful bonds.

Penn Dental Medicine students also found companionship and support through the Penntorship community by engaging with fellow mentors and, for some, working as a part of the executive board of the program.

“Menteam” coordinators, program analysts, a treasurer, fundraising chairs, and class representatives worked alongside us to ensure pairings met regularly and that any issues were being addressed.

From driving around to their homes to deliver Spring Mentee Appreciation goodie bags with treats and toys to receiving thank you notes from mentees expressing their gratitude for the program, we are thrilled by and grateful for the success of the program and look forward to continuing to build Penntorship this year. We could not have achieved this success without the support of Penn Dental Medicine and Penn’s Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), and we are so proud of our mentors and mentees for their commitment to the program and patience during this unprecedented time. As we transition to the in-person connections this school year, we know Penntorship will make an even greater impact on the lives of members of our community.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 15

“I’m honored that I was asked to take on this role, and while it will be a great challenge, I’m looking forward to that challenge and the potential CIGOH has to make a profound impact on oral health care.”

— DR. MICHAEL GLICK (GD’88)

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DR. MICHAEL GLICK LEADING NEW GLOBAL CENTER A CONVERSATION WITH THE RECENTLY APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH (CIGOH), THE SCHOOL’S FIRST CENTER WITH A POLICY FOCUS EARLIER THIS YEAR, Penn Dental Medicine launched the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health (CIGOH), positioning itself to take the lead in transforming the way educators, practitioners, and policymakers address the challenges of achieving equitable oral health — and thus overall health — locally, nationally, and around the globe. A $5 million gift from alumnus and Penn Dental Medicine Board of Advisors member Dr. Garry Rayant (GD’77) and his wife, Dr. Kathy Fields, provided the foundational support to establish the Center, the School’s first with a policy focus.

One of the first steps was the recruitment of an Executive Director to help move the vision for the Center forward, and in July, Dr. Michael Glick (GD’88) joined the School in this leadership role. Dr. Glick, who is also now Professor of Clinical Restorative Dentistry in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences, brings a depth of experience in academics and global oral health initiatives to this new post.

From 2009–2015, Dr. Glick served as Dean of the University at Buffalo, SUNY, School of Dental Medicine where he remained as Professor of Oral Diagnostic Sciences before coming to Penn Dental Medicine. Prior to his time at Buffalo, he was Professor of Oral Medicine at Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T.

Still University, also holding the post of Associate Dean of Oral-Medical Sciences at the University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. While at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey from 2001 to 2007, Dr. Glick served as Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences and as Director of both the Division of Oral Medicine and the Postgraduate Training Program in Oral Medicine.

This new position with Penn Dental Medicine is Dr. Glick’s second faculty appointment at the School, previously serving from 1994 to 2001 on the Oral Medicine faculty. During that time, he also directed the School’s programs for medically complex patients and infectious diseases.

A widely published and highly respected lecturer, Dr. Glick served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of the American Dental Association from 2005 to 2020. In the global arena, Dr. Glick has been active with the FDI World Dental Federation since 2007, serving on multiple committees, including co-chairing the Task Team Vision 2030.

He also had a leading role in establishing FDI’s Vision 2020 and most recently was the primary author of its Vision 2030, giving guidance for a global interdisciplinary and integrative role for oral health.

Dr. Glick completed specialty training in oral medicine at Penn Dental Medicine in 1988 and he holds a DMD from Hebrew University Hadassah School of Dental Medicine and Temple University School of Dentistry.

A few months into his tenure as CIGOH Executive Director, we sat down with Dr. Glick to get his perspective on this new endeavor and priorities for CIGOH in the coming year.

OPPOSITE: Dr. Michael Glick joined Penn Dental Medicine in July, coming from the University at Buffalo.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 17

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD CIGOH? We all want to make a difference — make an impact — and I believe this Center will provide us that opportunity. I’m honored that I was asked to take on this role, and while it will be a great challenge, I’m looking forward to that challenge and the potential CIGOH has to make a profound impact on oral health care.

WHY IS THE TIMING RIGHT FOR THIS CENTER? There are several global oral health initiatives going on right now — the Lancet Commission on Oral Health; the World Health Organization (WHO) resolution on oral health; Oral Health in America (2021); and the FDI Vision 2030. They all point to the enormous global burden of oral disease; it is the #1 non-communicable disease in the world. In addition, we know that oral health is inextricably linked to general health and health equity is a social justice issue.

Where we as a center expect to contribute is with more and improved evidence-informed guidelines and evidenceinformed policies based on better and more informative data. Part of what we want to do at CIGOH is determine how to standardize and utilize data more productively to generate such guidelines and policies; we really don't have that today.

CIGOH LECTURE SERIES The Integrative Global Oral Health Lecture Series, held virtually, is free and attendees can earn continuing education credit. See the upcoming schedule of speakers and available archived lectures at www.dental.upenn.edu/cigoh_series.

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CIGOH VISION

Achieving health and well-being by optimizing oral health for all.

CIGOH MISSION

Operating through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion to: • develop and mentor leaders and researchers in oral and population health, health policy, and advocacy; • create and disseminate transdisciplinary globally generated evidence-informed guidelines and policies; • foster and coordinate a community of implementation research; • advocate to increase affordability, availability, and accessibility for oral health globally, nationally, and regionally.

WHAT ARE SOME CIGOH INITIATIVES THAT ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY?

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE CENTER IN THIS COMING YEAR?

Our lecture series, which launched before I started, is having a tremendous response.

We are attracting highly respected speakers.

We’ve had the Chief Dental Officer of WHO, the Chief Executive Director of IADR, the Chief Executive Director of the FDI World Dental Federation, and the Chief Executive Director of the Non-Communicable Disease Alliance, just to name a few. We are bringing together global thought leaders in both oral and general health.

There are two purposes with the series.

Naturally, one is for us to hear what these invited speakers have to share, but the other is to have them recognize the importance of oral health in what they do.

Also underway is planning for a 2023 global conference in Africa in collaboration with FDI World Dental Federation and African dental schools. And, we are already laying the groundwork for partnerships — through our response to the WHO Global Health Strategy, WHO expressed interest in collaboration, and we have been invited to be part of the working group for the National Academy of Medicine Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education.

Two top priorities are visibility and sustainability. In terms of visibility, the lecture series is playing a key role, engaging prominent speakers and highlighting issues that are important to the health care community as a whole. I’ve also been focusing on raising CIGOH’s visibility through publications — in the first three months, we had three articles — and that will continue to be important. And, while the generous donation from Dr. Garry Rayant and his wife is enabling us to launch the Center, building funding resources for sustainability will be a critical focus for me.

Another top priority is the recruitment of key faculty and staff. Hala Baradi, who is also pursuing her Master’s in Bioethics here at Penn, joined us this summer as an administrative coordinator. And at the end of October, we welcomed Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra — a truly significant recruit.

Alonso is among the top leaders in the world in the area of evidence-based dentistry and evidence-informed guidelines and policies; he comes to us from the American Dental Association, where he was Senior Director of the Department of Evidence Synthesis and Translation Research. He will play

“Where we as a center expect to contribute is with more and improved evidence-informed guidelines and evidence-informed policies based on better and more informative data.”

— DR. MICHAEL GLICK (GD’88)

an invaluable role in the work of CIGOH, and is just the first of other faculty we will be looking to recruit, including filling the Center’s first endowed professorship — the Fields-Rayant Professorship, established by Dr. Rayant and Dr. Fields.

As we build faculty and staff, it’s important to me to give everyone involved in our center ownership in what we do. I see my role as a facilitator — it’s the synergy and expertise others bring that will enable us to develop and grow together.

WHY DO YOU SEE A POLICY CENTER LIKE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF DENTAL EDUCATION? Policy is going to affect the future of dental practice in very important and impactful ways. So for students to not only understand what the policy is and how it will affect them, but also know how and why it was created and even participate in that process will make a big difference.

When I went to dental school, we treated the disease that happened to be in a person, now, we are treating the person that happens to have a disease — such person-centered care needs to be reflected in these future policies.

WHAT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS WILL BE DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH CIGOH? Our plan is to establish a Master of Science in Oral and Population Health. I see CIGOH and this master’s program as the hub in this big wheel, and the spokes are going to be the people that we train, who will go out not only across the United States, but globally. If you

look at this initiative five to 10 years from now, we hopefully will have graduates from all over the world. Based on the training they received from us, we will be able to better standardize oral health research methodology and subsequent data collection. Having this cadre of individuals that we will continue to support after their time in the program is going to be extremely beneficial to assess and impact global oral health issues in the future.

ARE THERE PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN PENN THAT CIGOH WILL BE DEVELOPING? We are just beginning to explore partnerships with other schools and centers, but Penn’s strength as an interdisciplinary University makes it a natural fit for this kind of center. It will enable us to collaborate with people who can help us do what we want to do, because we cannot do it on our own.

Penn is the perfect place to be for this.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES IN REGARD TO ORAL HEALTH POLICY? The greatest challenge is to get a seat at the table. There shouldn't be any health policy without oral health. We need to have a seat at the table when health policies are generated and disseminated. We need to have a seat at the table when it comes to health care of the future. One of the challenges is to change the conversation to have people think about health not as death and dying, but as living with diseases. We need to get the health care community as a whole to start talking about how living with oral disease tremendously affects a person's life — from pain and overall health to losing days in school or work.

WHEN IT COMES TO PRACTICING DENTISTS, INCLUDING ALUMNI, HOW CAN THEY BECOME INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF THE CENTER? Right now, I think one fantastic way alumni can get involved is by generating interest in the importance of the Center among colleagues and connections throughout the dental field. For example, at a recent Board of Advisors meeting, several members were eager to see if I’d be willing to talk about CIGOH to organized dental associations in which they were involved. As alumni see where we're going with CIGOH and how important it is — if we can get alumni to have ownership of what we do — that will have a huge impact on our success. I also see alumni as a future source for data collection.

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE, WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE BACK AT PENN DENTAL MEDICINE? It’s been great to see how Penn Dental has evolved in the past 20 years. I'm enthusiastic about seeing the trajectory that Penn is on right now — with all the new centers and new initiatives — that I believe will once again renew Penn’s history of distinction among dental schools. That's part of the excitement of being back here — being part of that journey. n

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 19

RESEARCHSPOTLIGHT TRANSLATING SCIENCE TO PRACTICE

“When you become sick, it doesn’t matter [whether] that came from the mouth or came from another part of the body. It will affect your systemic health sooner or later.”

— DR. GEORGE HAJISHENGALLIS

Tracking the Downside of Immunity: An Oral-Systemic Health Connection There’s a cliche in medicine that immunity is a double-edged sword. The same function that protects the body against viral or bacterial invaders can also cause harm when it goes into overdrive. “In immunity, nothing can be entirely beneficial,” said Dr. George Hajishengallis, the Thomas W. Evans Centennial Professor in the Department of Basic and Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine. “Depending on context, you may want to inhibit or promote these processes.”

The downside of immunity — specifically, maladaptive trained innate immunity — took Dr. Hajishengallis to the National Institutes of Health earlier this year, when he was invited to be the keynote speaker at an NIH workshop. His talk was titled “Immunometabolic Crosstalk in Trained Immunity and Inflammation” and described a concept he’s working on with longtime collaborators in Germany that was also outlined this year in Nature Reviews Immunology. (Trained immunity is the property

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of cells in the innate immune system — such as neutrophils and monocytes and their progenitors — to memorize an infectious or inflammatory event and respond much faster and stronger to a similar challenge in the future.)

In periodontitis, a key research focus of Dr. Hajishengallis’ laboratory, bacteria eventually move from the gums into the patient’s blood, causing the local inflammation to become systemic. When the patient’s bone marrow senses this inflammation, the immune system responds by producing more neutrophils and monocytes than a healthy patient would. This, explains Dr. Hajishengallis, is an example of maladaptive trained innate immunity, because instead of protecting the body, these hyperactive immune cells exacerbate inflammation. If left unchecked, this inflammation can worsen an existing condition, such as arthritis, or even instigate a new chronic inflammatory disease.

“When [a patient has] one inflammatory disease, it’s very easy to get another one. It’s a

bad cascade of events,” Dr. Hajishengallis says.

“Besides common risk factors, this is another mechanism that could explain why we have comorbidities.”

Dr. Hajishengallis and his collaborators theorize that, in certain contexts, inhibiting maladaptive trained innate immunity, particularly in vulnerable populations, such as elderly patients, could provide a therapeutic approach to combating chronic inflammation. Blocking that ongoing inflammation, he explains, could in turn prove beneficial against a host of chronic inflammatory diseases.

This work is of particular interest to the NIH, Dr. Hajishengallis notes, because there is a growing effort to better understand the association between oral diseases and systemic health. Why, for instance, do people with periodontitis have increased risk for arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s? One way to illuminate these associations, Dr. Hajishengallis explains, is through the study of maladaptive trained innate immunity.

“When you become sick, it doesn’t matter [whether] that came from the mouth or came from another part of the body,” he said. “It will affect your systemic health sooner or later.” continued on page 22

ACADEMICUPDATE

DEPARTMENT/FACULTY NEWS & SCHOLARSHIP

BASIC & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Calga Akay-Espinoza was awarded a Penn Center for AIDS Research pilot grant for a project titled HIV viral dynamics and host-cell gene expression profiles in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived myeloid cells.

Chinipardaz Z, Liu M, Graves D (co-author Dept. of Periodontics), Yang S. Diabetes Impairs Fracture Healing Through Disruption Of Cilia Formation In Osteoblasts. Bone. 2021 Sep 8;116176.

PMID: 34508881 Chompunud Na Ayudhya C, Amponnawarat A, Ali H. Substance P Serves as a Balanced Agonist for MRGPRX2 and a Single Tyrosine Residue Is Required for β-Arrestin Recruitment and Receptor Internalization. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 18;22(10):5318. PMCID: PMC8158387 Campagno KE, Mitchell CH. The P2X7 Receptor in Microglial Cells Modulates the Endolysosomal Axis, Autophagy, and Phagocytosis. Front Cell Neurosci. 2021;15:645244. PMCID: PMC8005553

Dr. Marco Tizzano has joined the Department as an Associate Professor.

His appointment to this tenure-track post was effective October 1.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Alawi F. Hidden clinicians. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2021 Aug;132(2):123. PMID: 34148847 Ali H. Revisiting the role of MRGPRX2 on hypersensitivity reactions to neuromuscular blocking drugs. Curr Opin Immunol.

2021 Apr 12;72:65–71. PMID: 33857758 Amponnawarat A, Chompunud Na Ayudhya C, Ali H. Murepavadin, a Small Molecule Host Defense Peptide Mimetic, Activates Mast Cells via MRGPRX2 and MrgprB2. Front Immunol.

2021;12:689410. PMCID: PMC8261236

Feres M, Retamal-Valdes B, Fermiano D, Faveri M, Figueiredo LC, Mayer MPA, Lee J-J, Bittinger K, Teles F. Microbiome changes in young periodontitis patients treated with adjunctive metronidazole and amoxicillin. J Periodontol. 2021 Apr;92(4):467–478. PMID: 32844406 Hajishengallis G, Lamont RJ. Polymicrobial communities in periodontal disease: Their quasi-organismal nature and dialogue with the host. Periodontol 2000. 2021 Jun;86(1):210–230. PMID: 33690950 Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. DEL-1: a potential therapeutic target in inflammatory and autoimmune disease? Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2021 Jun;17(6):549–552.

PMCID: PMC8405457

Hajishengallis G, Hasturk H, Lambris JD, Apatzidou DA, Belibasakis GN, Bostanci N, Corby PM (co-author Dept. of Oral Medicine), Cutler CW, D’Aiuto F, Hajishengallis E, Huber-Lang M, Ioannidou E, Kajikawa T, Kantarci A, Korostoff JM (co-author Dept. of Periodontics), Kotsakis GA, Maekawa T, Mastellos DC, Moutsopoulos NM, Myneni S, Nagelberg R, Nilsson B, Papapanou PN, Papathanasiou E, Potempa J, Risitano A, Sahingur ES (co-author Dept. of Periodontics), Saito A, Sculean A, Stavropoulos A, Teles FR, Tonetti M, Yancopoulou D . C3-targeted therapy in periodontal disease: moving closer to the clinic. Trends Immunol. 2021 Oct;42(10):856-864. doi: 10.1016/j. it.2021.08.001. Epub 2021 Sep 2. PMID: 34483038

de Brito LCN, Doolittle-Hall J, Lee CT, Moss K, Bambirra Júnior W, Tavares WLF, Ribeiro Sobrinho AP, Teles FRF. The apical root canal system microbial communities determined by next-generation sequencing. Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 2;10(1):10932. doi: 10.1038/s41598020-67828-3. PMID: 32616783 Deepak V, Komarow HD, Alblaihess AA, Carter MC, Metcalfe DD, Ali H. Expression of MRGPRX2 in skin mast cells of patients with maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Jun 25;S22132198(21)00697–8. PMID: 34182161 Dhingra A, Sharp RC, Kim T, Popov AV, Ying G-S, Pietrofesa RA, Park K, Christofidou-Solomidou M, BoeszeBattaglia K. Assessment of a Small Molecule Synthetic Lignan in Enhancing Oxidative Balance and Decreasing Lipid Accumulation in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelia. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 28;22(11):5764. PMCID: PMC8198017 Ding Y, Chen W, Lu Z, Wang Y, Yuan Y. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus promotes mesenchymal-to-endothelial transition by resolving the bivalent chromatin of PROX1 gene. PLoS Pathog.

2021 Sep 7;17(9):e1009847. PMID: 34492084

BATTLING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS A new study led by Dr. George Hajishengallis shows that the protein DEL-1 could reduce the painful inflammation of RA in an animal model. See the following article: Wang, H., Li, X., Kajikawa, T., Shin, J., Lim, J.-H., Kourtzelis, I., Nagai, K., Korostoff, J., Grossklaus, S., Naumann, R., Chavakis, T. & Hajishengallis, G. Stromal cell-derived DEL-1 inhibits Tfh cell activation and inflammatory arthritis. J Clin Invest 131(19):e150578 (2021). PMID: 34403362

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 21

ACADEMICUPDATE He W, Baysal C, Lobato Gómez M, Huang X, Alvarez D, Zhu C, ArmarioNajera V, Blanco Perera A, Cerda Bennaser P, Saba-Mayoral A, SobrinoMengual G, Vargheese A, Abranches R, Alexandra Abreu I, Balamurugan S, Bock R, Buyel JF, da Cunha NB, Daniell H, Faller R, Folgado A, Gowtham I, Häkkinen ST, Kumar S, Sathish Kumar R, Lacorte C, Lomonossoff GP, Luís IM, K-C Ma J, McDonald KA, Murad A, Nandi S, O‘Keef B, Parthiban S, Paul MJ, Ponndorf D, Rech E, Rodrigues JCM, Ruf S, Schillberg S, Schwestka J, Shah PS, Singh R, Stoger E, Twyman RM, Varghese IP, Vianna GR, Webster G, Wilbers RHP, Christou P, OksmanCaldentey K-M, Capell T. Contributions of the international plant science community to the fight against infectious diseases in humans-part 2: Affordable drugs in edible plants for endemic and re-emerging diseases. Plant Biotechnol J. 2021 Jun 28; PMID: 34181810 Huang G, Boesze-Battaglia K, Walker LP, Zekavat A, Schaefer ZP, Blanke SR, Shenker BJ. The Active Subunit of the Cytolethal Distending Toxin, CdtB, Derived From Both Haemophilus ducreyi and Campylobacter jejuni Exhibits Potent Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-Triphosphate Phosphatase Activity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11:664221. PMCID: PMC8039388

Jassim AH, Inman DM, Mitchell CH. Crosstalk Between Dysfunctional Mitochondria and Inflammation in Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:699623. PMCID: PMC8334009

A study from the lab of Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto details the mechanism by which HIV infection blocks the maturation process of brain cells that produce myelin, a fatty substance that insulates neurons.

See the following article:

Jordan-Sciutto KL. Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy in the Central Nervous System: Beyond Viral Suppression. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol Off J Soc NeuroImmune Pharmacol.

2021 Mar;16(1):71–73. PMCID: PMC8118691 Khan I, Daniell H. Oral delivery of therapeutic proteins bioencapsulated in plant cells: preclinical and clinical advances.

Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Aug;54:101452. PMCID: PMC8098715 Kumar Singh R, Pei Y, Bose D, Lamplugh ZL, Sun K, Yuan Y, Lieberman P, You J, Robertson ES. KSHV-encoded vCyclin can modulate HIF1α levels to promote DNA replication in hypoxia. eLife. 2021 Jul 19;10:e57436. PMCID: PMC8315796 Li X, Yang S, Deepak V, Chinipardaz Z, Yang S. Identification of Cilia in Different Mouse Tissues. Cells. 2021 Jun 29;10(7):1623. PMCID: PMC8307782

RESEARCHSPOTLIGHT CONT. FROM PAGE 20 Dr. Hajishengallis and his team have been working closely with the laboratory of Triantafyllos Chavakis, faculty at the Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine at Technische Universität in Dresden, Germany, on this research. The partnership has yielded dozens of journal articles and research papers. “It’s a very prolific collaboration,” Dr. Hajishengallis said. “We consider them our sister lab.”

The earliest iteration of the collaboration, published in the journal Cell, showed that innate immune memory takes place in bone marrow progenitor cells, which give rise to lines of differentiated blood cells for months to come. The team later showed that trained neutrophils could actually kill tumor cells — in other words, that trained innate immunity could provide protection against cancer. Now, the partners have turned their sights on the unfortunate side effects of trained innate immunity.

The next step, Dr. Hajishengallis said, is to formally prove the connection between maladaptive trained innate immunity and chronic inflammation. To do this, the team will cause periodontitis in mice and monitor whether the infection makes the rodents more susceptible to other chronic inflammatory diseases. If a connection is found, he said, “then we can explain it by induction of maladaptive trained immunity in bone marrow progenitor cells.”

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HIV & THE BRAIN

Roth LM, Akay-Espinoza C, Grinspan JB, Jordan-Sciutto KL. HIV-induced neuroinflammation inhibits oligodendrocyte maturation via glutamate-dependent activation of the PERK arm of the integrated stress response. Glia. 2021 Sep;69(9): 2252–2271. PMID: 34058792

Li X, Yang S, Qin L, Yang S. Type II collagen-positive embryonic progenitors are the major contributors to spine and intervertebral disc development and repair.

Stem Cells Transl Med. 2021 May 25; PMID: 34032373 Li Y, Liu M, Yang S, Fuller AM, Karin Eisinger-Mathason TS, Yang S. RGS12 is a novel tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma that inhibits YAP-TEAD1-Ezrin signaling.

Oncogene. 2021 Apr;40(14):2553– 2566. PMID: 33686240 Li Y, Yang S, Qin L, Yang S. TAZ is required for chondrogenesis and skeletal development. Cell Discov. 2021 Apr 20;7(1):26. PMCID: PMC8058044 Lobato Gómez M, Huang X, Alvarez D, He W, Baysal C, Zhu C, Armario-Najera V, Blanco Perera A, Cerda Bennasser P, Saba-Mayoral A, Sobrino-Mengual G, Vargheese A, Abranches R, Abreu IA, Balamurugan S, Bock R, Buyel JF, da Cunha NB, Daniell H, Faller R, Folgado A, Gowtham I, Häkkinen ST, Kumar S, Ramalingam SK, Lacorte C, Lomonossoff GP, Luís IM, Ma JK-C, McDonald KA, Murad A, Nandi S, O‘Keefe B, Oksman-Caldentey K-M, Parthiban S, Paul MJ, Ponndorf D, Rech E, Rodrigues JCM, Ruf S, Schillberg S, Schwestka J, Shah PS, Singh R, Stoger E, Twyman RM, Varghese IP, Vianna GR, Webster G, Wilbers RHP, Capell T, Christou P. Contributions of the international plant science community to the fight against human infectious diseases - part 1: epidemic and pandemic diseases.

Plant Biotechnol J. 2021 Jun 28; PMID: 34182608

Marchesan JT, Moss K, Morelli T, Teles FR, Divaris K, Styner M, Ribeiro AA, Webster-Cyriaque J, Beck J. Distinct Microbial Signatures between Periodontal Profile Classes. J Dent Res. 2021 Apr 27:220345211009767. doi: 10.1177/00220345211009767. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33906500 Nguyen MN, Yeung JG, Randall Y, Boesze-Battaglia K, Panchal N (Co-author dept. Oral Surgery & Pharmacology). Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Social Media Boom: Potential Concerns of Social Media Use for the Surgeon. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 May 26;S0278-2391(21)00522-X. PMID: 34174220 Singh R, Ren Z, Shi Y, Lin S, Kwon KC, Balamurugan S, Rai V, Mante F (co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Koo H (co-author Dept. of Orthodontics), Daniell H. Affordable oral health care: dental biofilm disruption using chloroplast made enzymes with chewing gum delivery. Plant Biotechnol J. 2021 Oct;19(10):21132125. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13643. Epub 2021 Jun 22. PMID: 34076337 Srinivasan A, Herzog RW, Khan I, Sherman A, Bertolini T, Wynn T, Daniell H. Preclinical development of plant-based oral immune modulatory therapy for haemophilia B. Plant Biotechnol J. 2021 May 5; PMID: 33949086

Starr A, Jordan-Sciutto KL, Mironets E. Confound, Cause, or Cure: The Effect of Cannabinoids on HIV-Associated Neurological Sequelae. Viruses. 2021 Jun 26;13(7):1242. PMCID: PMC8310358 Teles FRF, Lynch MC, Patel M, Torresyap G, Martin L. Bacterial resistance to minocycline after adjunctive minocycline microspheres during periodontal maintenance: Randomized clinical trial. J Periodontol. 2021 Apr 18; PMID: 33866555 Williams DW, Greenwell-Wild T, Brenchley L, Dutzan N, Overmiller A, Sawaya AP, Webb S, Martin D, NIDCD/ NIDCR Genomics and Computational Biology Core, Hajishengallis G, Divaris K, Morasso M, Haniffa M, Moutsopoulos NM. Human oral mucosa cell atlas reveals a stromal-neutrophil axis regulating tissue immunity. Cell. 2021 Jul 22;184(15):4090-4104.e15. PMCID: PMC8359928 Yao L, Tichy ED, Zhong L, Mohanty S, Wang L, Ai E, Yang S, Mourkioti F, Qin L. Gli1 Defines a Subset of Fibro-adipogenic Progenitors that Promote Skeletal Muscle Regeneration With Less Fat Accumulation.

J Bone Miner Res Off J Am Soc Bone Miner Res. 2021 Jun;36(6):1159–1173.

PMID: 33529374 Zhang W, Gao L, Ren W, Li S, Zheng J, Li S, Jiang C, Yang S, Zhi K. The Role of the Immune Response in the Development of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw. Front Immunol. 2021;12:606043.

PMCID: PMC7947359 Zhu N, Xu X, Wang Y, Zeng M-S, Yuan Y. EBV latent membrane proteins promote hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal and extreme mesenchymal states of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells for tumorigenicity. PLoS Pathog.

2021 Aug;17(8):e1009873. PMCID: PMC8405006

ENDODONTICS

ORAL MEDICINE

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

J, O’Keeffe D, Palmer J, Parisi F, Patel S, Po J, Pugliese BL, Quatieri T, Rahman T, Ramasarma N, Rogers JA, RuizEsparza GU, Sapienza S, Schiurring G, Schwamm L, Shafiee H, Kelly Silacci S, Sims NM, Talkar T, Tharion WJ, Toombs JA, Uschnig C, Vergara-Diaz GP, Wacnik P, Wang MD, Welch J, Williamson L, Zafonte R, Zai A, Zhang Y-T, Tearney GJ, Ahmad R, Walt DR, Bonato P. Can mHealth Technology Help Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic? IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol. 2020;1:243–248.

PMCID: PMC8023427

Alharbi M, Lee SM. Long-term Followup for Immature Teeth Treated with Regenerative Endodontic Procedures and Underwent Orthodontic Treatment.

Eur Endod J. 2021; 6(2): 242-246.

Han-Hsing Lin J, Karabucak B, Lee SM. Effect of sodium hypochlorite on conventional and heat-treated nickel-titanium endodontic rotary instruments - An in vitro study. J Dent Sci. 2021 Mar;16(2):738– 743. PMCID: PMC8025147 Huang J, Yan H, Li J, Stewart HM, Setzer FC. Combining Anatomical Constraints and Deep learning for 3-D CBCT Dental Image Multi-label Segmentation. 2021 IEEE 37th International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE). 2021:2750-5 Narasimhan B, Vinothkumar TS, Praveen R, Setzer FC, Nagendrababu V. A Modified Partial Platform Technique to Retrieve Instrument Fragments from Curved and Narrow Canals: A Report of 2 Cases. J Endod. 2021 Jul 21;S00992399(21)00486–6. PMID: 34298031

Dr. Adeyinka Dayo is the inaugural recipient of the National Dental Association Foundation/Colgate-Palmolive Trailblazers in Oral Health Research Scholars of African Heritage fellowship, which seeks to attract and develop young researchers with the goal of increasing representation and participation in oral health research in both academia and industry.

Dr. Katherine France was named a 2021 Top Dentist in Philadelphia in the area of Oral Medicine.

Nguyen QT, Beck Coburn GE, Valentino A, Karabucak B, Tizzano M. Mouse Mandibular Retromolar Taste Buds Associated With a Mucus Salivary Gland.

Chem Senses. 2021 Jan 1;46:bjab019. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjab019. PMID: 33855345 Poly A, Marques F, Sassone LM, Karabucak B. The shaping ability of WaveOne Gold, TRUShape and XP-endo Shaper systems in oval-shaped distal canals of mandibular molars: A microcomputed tomographic analysis. Int Endod J. 2021 Sep 2. doi: 10.1111/iej.13625. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34473842 Setzer FC, Harley MJ, Cheung JY, Karabucak B. Possible Causes for Failure of Endodontic Surgery - A Retrospective Series of 20 Resurgery Cases. EUR Endod J. 2021;6:235-41.

Setzer FC, Lee SM. Radiology in Endodontics. Dent Clin N Am. 2021;65:475-86

Alamoudi W, Azar A; Barta S, Alawi F (co-author Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences),Tanaka TI, Stoopler ET, Sollecito TP.EBV-positive B-cell Ulcerative Proliferation in the Oral Cavity Associated with EBV-negative Follicular Lymphoma in a Patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2021 Sep 07.

AlMuzaini AAAY, Boesze-Battaglia K (co-author Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences), Alawi F, Akintoye SO . Hypoxia enhances basal autophagy of epithelial-derived ameloblastoma cells. Oral Dis. 2021 Mar 15; PMID: 33721362 Bindakhil M, Alawi F (co-author Dept. of Basic & Translational Scienes), France K, Tanaka TI. Primary Syphilis of the Oral Cavity, a Rare Presentation of a Re-Emerging Disease. Cureus. 2021 Apr 20;13(4):e14595. PMCID: PMC8137135

Dr. Thomas Sollecito was named President of the American Board of Oral Medicine, assuming the one-year term to this leadership post in April 2021.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Adans-Dester CP, Bamberg S, Bertacchi FP, Caulfield B, Chappie K, Demarchi D, Erb MK, Estrada J, Fabara EE, Freni M, Friedl KE, Ghaffari R, Gill G, Greenberg MS, Hoyt RW, Jovanov E, Kanzler CM, Katabi D, Kernan M, Kigin C, Lee SI, Leonhardt S, Lovell NH, Mantilla J, McCoy TH, Luo NM, Miller GA, Moore

Chen H, Li Z, Feng S, Richard-Greenblatt M, Hutson E, Andrianus S, Glaser LJ, Rodino KG, Qian J, Jayaraman D, Collman RG, Glascock A, Bushman FD, Lee JS, Cherry S, Fausto A, Weiss SR, Koo H (co-author Dept. of Orthodontics), Corby PM, Oceguera A, O’Doherty U, Garfall AL, Vogl DT, Stadtmauer EA, Wang P. Femtomolar SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection Using the Microbubbling Digital Assay with Smartphone Readout Enables Antigen Burden Quantitation and Tracking. Clin Chem. 2021 Aug 12:hvab158. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvab158. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34383886 Conejo J (co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Dayo AF, Syed AZ, Mupparapu M. The Digital Clone: Intraoral Scanning, Face Scans and Cone Beam Computed Tomography Integration for Diagnosis and Treatment Planning. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):529–553. PMID: 34051929

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 23

ACADEMICUPDATE Corby PM, O’Doherty U, Garfall AL, Vogl DT, Stadtmauer EA, Wang P. Femtomolar SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection Using the Microbubbling Digital Assay with Smartphone Readout Enables Antigen Burden Quantitation and Dynamics Tracking. MedRxiv Prepr Serv Health Sci. 2021 Mar 26;2021.03.17.21253847. PMCID: PMC8010739 Dayo AF, Miles DA, Hamann BR. Detection of medial arterial calcification on CBCT images of a patient with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case report. Gen Dent. 2021 Oct;69(5):57–61.

PMID: 34424214 Dayo AF, Wolff MS (co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative), Syed AZ, Mupparapu M. Radiology of Dental Caries. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):427–445. PMID: 34051924 France K, AlMuzaini AAAY, Mupparapu M. Radiographic Interpretation in Oral Medicine and Hospital Dental Practice. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):509–528. PMID: 34051928 Kamer AR, Pushalkar S, Gulivindala D, Butler T, Li Y, Annam KRC, Glodzik L, Ballman KV, Corby PM, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Saxena D, de Leon MJ. Periodontal dysbiosis associates with reduced CSF Aβ42 in cognitively normal elderly. Alzheimers Dement Amst Neth. 2021;13(1):e12172. PMCID: PMC8040436 Kim IH, Singer SR, Hong DJ, Mupparapu M. Fundamentals of Radiographic Interpretation for the Dentist. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):409–425.

PMID: 34051923 Ko E, Omolehinwa T, Akintoye SO, Mupparapu M. Radiographic Diagnosis of Systemic Diseases Manifested in Jaws. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):579–604. PMID: 34051931 McDermott CL, Hilton K, Park AT, Tooley UA, Boroshok AL, Mupparapu M, Scott JM, Bumann EE, Mackey AP. Early life stress is associated with earlier emergence of permanent molars.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jun 15;118(24):e2105304118. PMCID: PMC8214676 Mupparapu M, Singer SR. Editorial: Pandemic-driven global dental care, education, and training. Quintessence. Int Berl Ger 1985. 2021 May 7;52(6):473–474.

PMID: 33960761

24 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Mupparapu M. Oral and Maxillofacial Radiographic Data: A Multidisciplinary Diagnostic, Presurgical, and Virtual Tool for the Twenty-First Century. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):xiii–xiv.

PMID: 34051935 Noureldine MHA, Pressman E, Kumar JI, Zavadskiy G, Tran ND, Greenberg MS, Alikhani P. Sacroiliac joint arthropathy in adult spinal deformity patients with long constructs to the pelvis. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2021 Apr;203:106593.

PMID: 33706061 Singer SR, Kim IH, Creanga AG, Mupparapu M. Physiologic and Pathologic Calcifications of Head and Neck Significant to the Dentist. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):555–577. PMID: 34051930 Stoopler ET, Kulkarni R, Riegel R, Sollecito TP, Alawi F (co-author Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences).

Chronic lip swelling. J Am Dent Assoc 1939. 2021 May 14;S00028177(21)00136–7. PMID: 34001328 Tanna NK (co-author Dept. of Orthodontics), AlMuzaini AAAY, Mupparapu M. Imaging in Orthodontics. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):623–641. PMID: 34051933 Van Cleave JH, Fu MR, Bennett AV, Concert C, Riccobene A, Tran A, Most A, Kamberi M, Mojica J, Savitski J, Kusche E, Persky MS, Li Z, Jacobson AS, Hu KS, Persky MJ, Liang E, Corby PM, Egleston BL. The usefulness of the Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA)© as a clinical support tool for real-time interventions in head and neck cancer. mHealth. 2021;7:7. PMCID: PMC7882269 Wang Y, Akintoye SO. Primary Cilia Enhance Osteogenic Response of Jaw Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Hypoxia and Bisphosphonate. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.

2021 Aug 5;S0278-2391(21)00749–7.

PMID: 34480853

ORAL SURGERY/ PHARMACOLOGY NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recognized faculty at its 2021 annual meeting with the following awards: Dr. David Stanton (posthumously), Donald B. Osborne Outstanding Educator Award; Dr. Anh Le, OMS Foundation Research Recognition Award; Dr. Rabie Shanti, OMS Faculty Educator Development Award; Drs. Katherine Theken, Steven Wang, Neeraj Panchal, OMS Foundation Research Grant Award ; and Dr. Neeraj Panchal, American Board of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Junior Examination Committee Selection. In addition, Dr. Corissa Chang was the recipient of the Resident Scientific Award (2020).

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Ansari S, Pouraghaei Sevari S, Chen C, Sarrion P, Moshaverinia A. RGDmodified alginate-GelMA hydrogel sheet containing gingival mesenchymal stem cells: a unique platform for wound healing and soft tissue regeneration. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2021 Aug; 7(8):37743782. PMID: 34082525 Byrnes YM, Luu NN, Frost AS, Chao TN, Brody RM, Cannady SB, Rajasekaran K, Shanti RM, Newman JG. Evaluation of an interactive virtual surgical rotation during the COVID-19 pandemic. World J Otorhinolaryngol - Head Neck Surg.

2021 Apr 24; PMCID: PMC8064875

Cannady SB, Mady LJ, Brody RM, Shimunov D, Newman JG, Chalian AC, Rajasekaran KA, Sheth NP, Shanti RM. Anterolateral thigh osteomyocutaneous flap in head and neck: Lessons learned.

Microsurgery. 2021 Jun 26; PMID: 34174118 Carr BR, Boggess WJ, Coburn JF, Rekawek P, Chuang SK, Panchal N, Ford BP. Does alcohol consumption protect against late dental implant failures?

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2021 Jun;131(6):631–637. PMID: 33744204 Cimba MJ, Labe B, Dazen CM, Lee KC, Rose MJ, Heinle JT, Ford BP. Do Mandatory Face Shields Reduce the Number of Craniomaxillofacial Injuries in the National Hockey League? J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Jun;79(6):1313– 1318. PMID: 33607010 Cimba MJ, Dazen CM, Wang S, Ford BP. Pediatric-Antiresorptive Use: Should We Intervene on Third Molars Early? J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Sep;79(9):1817–1818.

Franklin M, Sperry MM, Phillips E, Granquist EJ, Marcolongo M, Winkelstein BA. Painful temporomandibular joint overloading induces structural remodeling in the pericellular matrix of that joint’s chondrocytes. J Orthop Res Off Publ Orthop Res Soc. 2021 Apr 8; PMID: 33830541

NERVE REPAIR The lab of Dr. Anh Le is developing a novel approach to surgically repairing injured peripheral nerves that relies on gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells. See the following article:

Zhang Q, Nguyen P, Burrell JC, Zeng J, Shi S, Shanti RM, Kulischak G, Cullen DK, Le AD. Harnessing 3D collagen hydrogel-directed conversion of human GMSCs into SCP-like cells to generate functionalized nerve conduits. NPJ Regen Med. 2021 Sep 30;6(1):59. doi: 10.1038/s41536-021-00170-y. PMID: 34593823

Gokhman D, Agoglia RM, Kinnebrew M, Gordon W, Sun D, Bajpai VK, Naqvi S, Chen C, Chan A, Chen C, Petrov DA, Ahituv N, Zhang H, Mishina Y, Wysoka J, Rohatgi R, Fraser HB. Human-chimpanzee fused cells reveal cis-regulatory divergence underlying skeletal evolution. Nat Genet. 2021 Apr; 53(4):467-476. PMID: 33731941 Graillon N, Iocca O, Carey RM, Benjamin K, Cannady SB, Hartner L, Newman JG, Rajasekaran K, Brant JA, Shanti RM. What has the National Cancer Database taught us about oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma? Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg.

2021 Apr 8;S0901-5027(21)00125–9.

PMID: 33840565 Gupta G, Hersh EV, Theken KN. Diclofenac: a review for dentists. Gen Dent. 2021 May-Jun;69(3):15-19. PMID: 33908871 Ita ME, Ghimire P, Granquist EJ, Winkelstein BA. MMPs in tissues retrieved during surgery from patients with TMJ disorders relate to pain more than to radiological damage score. J Orthop Res Off Publ Orthop Res Soc. 2021 Apr 1; PMID: 33792957 Kaleem A, Melville JC, Tursun R, Shanti RM. Comprehensive Oromandibular Reconstruction Utilizing an Anterolateral Thigh Free Tissue Transfer Flap and Tissue Engineering: Technical and Timing Considerations. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.

2021 May 29;S0278-2391(21)00533–4.

PMID: 34181906 Kim D, Lee AE, Xu Q, Zhang Q, Le AD. Gingiva-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Potential Application in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - A Comprehensive Review. Front Immunol.

2021;12:667221. PMCID: PMC8085523 Mohiuddin JJ, Shanti RM, Alawi F (co-author Basic & Translational Sciences), Chang BM, Marcel J, Taunk NK, Lukens JN. High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Primary Treatment of Refractory Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia of the Hard Palate. Cureus.

2021 Jun;13(6):e15696. PMCID: PMC8285093 O’Donnell JC, Purvis EM, Helm KVT, Adewole DO, Zhang Q, Le AD, Cullen DK. An implantable human stem cell-derived tissue-engineered rostral migratory stream for directed neuronal replacement.

Commun Biol. 2021 Jul 15;4(1):879.

PMCID: PMC8282659

Pouraghaei Sevari S, Kim JK, Chen C, Nasajpour A, Wang CY, Krebsbach PH, Khademhosseini A, Ansari S, Weiss PS, Moshaverinia A. WhitlockiteEnabled Hydrogel for Craniofacial Bone Regeneration. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021 Aug; 13(30):3534235355. PMID: 34297530 Rekawek P, Rajapakse CS, Panchal N. Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Maxillofacial Prognosis and Diagnosis?

J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Jul;79(7):1396–1397. PMID: 33775606 Rekawek P, Wang TT, Panchal N. Reflections on the Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Virtual Match. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Aug;79(8):1599– 1601. PMID: 33775608 Rogoszinski T, Dazen C, Rekawek P, Coburn JF, Carr BR, Boggess W, Chuang S-K, Lee KC, Panchal N, Ford BP. Are proton pump inhibitors associated with implant failure and peri-implantitis? Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol.

2021 May 15;4626. PMID: 34509399 Rose MJ, Cimba MJ, Day S, Bhatt P, Panchal N, Ford BP. Epidemiologic Patterns of Maxillofacial Trauma in a Metropolitan Area: A Retrospective Analysis. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Jul 31;S0278-2391(21)00743–6. PMID: 34453912 Saraghi M, Hersh EV. Topical anesthetics: a review of several formulations. Gen Dent. 2021 Sep-Oct;69(5):8-11. PMID: 34424203 Shanti RM, Wang T(co-author Dept. of Periodontics), Markiewicz MR, Panchal N, Salman SO, Le AD. Reducing Socioeconomic Disparities in Access to Dental Rehabilitation Using Endosseous Implants in Patients After Undergoing Removal of Benign and Malignant Tumors of the Oral Cavity and Jaws. J Oral Maxillofac Surg Off J Am Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Apr 17;S0278-2391(21)00312–8. PMID: 34051156 Sperry MM, Granquist EJ, Winkelstein BA. Increased substance P and synaptic remodeling occur in the trigeminal sensory system with sustained osteoarthritic temporomandibular joint sensitivity. Pain Rep. 2021;6(1):e911.

PMCID: PMC8104398

TEACHING AWARDS The Class of 2021 recognized faculty with the annual teaching awards, who were acknowledge as part of the virtual commencement ceremony in May. This year’s recipients included: Dr. Frank Setzer (GD’06, MS’07, D’10), Assistant Professor of Endodontics, the Earle Bank Hoyt Award, presented for excellence in teaching to a Penn Dental Medicine graduate who is a full-time junior faculty member; Dr. Frank Smithgall (C’79, D’83), Clinical Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry, the Robert E. DeRevere Award, presented for excellence in preclinical teaching by a part-time faculty member; Dr. Michael Speirs, Lecturer, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, the Basic Science Award, presented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences; Dr. Alan Nathanson, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences, the Joseph L. T. Appleton Award, presented to a part-time faculty member for excellence in clinical teaching; and Art Kofman, C.D.T. Director of Laboratory Affairs and the Office of Laboratory Affairs Supervisor, the Senior Outstanding Teaching Award, presented to a faculty/ staff member who has gone beyond the scope of his/her responsibilities to significantly impact the class’s education.

Wang S, Ford B. Imaging in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):487–507. PMID: 34051927

ORTHODONTICS NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Wang TT, Tong J, Hersh EV, Chuang SK, Panchal N. Does prescription drug monitoring program usage affect opioid analgesic prescriptions by oral and maxillofacial surgeons after third molar surgery? Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2021 Jul;132(1):26– 31. PMID: 33741285 Wei J, Ding J, Han B, Chen C. Editorial: Advanced materials for the restoration and reconstruction of dental functions. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Sep; 9:756860.

PMID: 34540819

Dr. Chenshuang Li has been recognized for her research and teaching as the 2021 recipient of the Orthopaedic Research Society/ON Foundation Orthoregeneration Award; the Orhan C. Tuncay Teaching Fellowship Award and the Orthodontic Faculty Development Fellowship Award from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation; and the American Association of Orthodontists Full-time Faculty Fellowship Award.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 25

ACADEMICUPDATE SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold). de Faveri M, Pupio GC, Koo H, BuenoSilva B, de Oliveira KM, Figueiredo LC, Rosalen PL, Hayacibara RM, Fujimaki M. The effect of Brazilian propolis type-3 against oral microbiota and volatile sulfur compounds in subjects with morning breath malodor. Clin Oral Investig. 2021 Aug 15. doi: 10.1007/s00784-02104125-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34392403 Heimisdottir LH, Lin BM, Cho H, Orlenko A, Ribeiro AA, Simon-Soro A, Roach J, Shungin D, Ginnis J, SimancasPallares MA, Spangler HD, Zandoná AGF, Wright JT, Ramamoorthy P, Moore JH, Koo H, Wu D, Divaris K. Metabolomics Insights in Early Childhood Caries. J Dent Res. 2021 Jun;100(6):615622. doi: 10.1177/0022034520982963.

Epub 2021 Jan 9. PMID: 33423574

Li C, Zheng Z. Males and Females Have Distinct Molecular Events in the Articular Cartilage during Knee Osteoarthritis. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 23;22(15):7876.

PMCID: PMC8346087

Ko KI, Sculean A, Graves DT. Diabetic wound healing in soft and hard oral tissues. Transl Res. 2021 Oct;236:72-86. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2021.05.001. Epub 2021 May 13. PMID: 33992825

Li C, Mills Z, Zheng Z. Novel cell sources for bone regeneration. MedComm, 2021;1-30. DOI: 10.1002/mco2.51

Qin Y, Liu Y, Jiang Y, Mei S, Liu Y, Feng J, Guo L, Du J, Graves DT, Liu Y. Cigarette Smoke Exposure Inhibits Osteoclast Apoptosis via the mtROS Pathway. J Dent Res. 2021 May 12;220345211009471. .

Rodrigues NS, França CM, Tahayeri A, Ren Z, Saboia VPA, Smith AJ, Ferracane JL, Koo H, Bertassoni LE. Biomaterial and Biofilm Interactions with the PulpDentin Complex-on-a-Chip. J Dent Res. 2021 Sep;100(10):1136-1143. doi: 10.1177/00220345211016429. Epub 2021 May 26. PMID: 34036838

PERIODONTICS

PREVENTIVE & RESTORATIVE SCIENCES NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

The prosthodontics graduate dental eduction program has received full accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Jeon HH, Teixeira H, Tsai A. Mechanistic Insight into Orthodontic Tooth Movement Based on Animal Studies: A Critical Review. J Clin Med. 2021 Apr 16;10(8):1733. PMCID: PMC8072633 Jeon HH, Yu Q, Witek L, Lu Y, Zhang T, Stepanchenko O, Son VJ, Spencer E, Oshilaja T, Shin MK, Alawi F (co-author Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences), Coelho PG, Graves DT (co-author Dept. of Periodontics).

Clinical application of a FOXO1 inhibitor improves connective tissue healing in a diabetic minipig model. Am J Transl Res. 2021;13(2):781–791. PMCID: PMC7868841 Jeon HH, Yang C-Y, Shin MK, Wang J, Patel JH, Chung C-H, Graves DT (Co-author Dept. of Periodontics).

Osteoblast lineage cells and periodontal ligament fibroblasts regulate orthodontic tooth movement that is dependent on Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-kB) activation. Angle Orthod. 2021 Sep 1;91(5):664–671. PMCID: PMC8376154 Kligman S, Ren Z, Chung CH, Perillo MA, Chang YC (co-author Dept. of Periodontics), Koo H, Zheng Z, Li C. The Impact of Dental Implant Surface Modifications on Osseointegration and Biofilm Formation. J Clin Med. 2021 Apr 12;10(8):1641. doi: 10.3390/ jcm10081641. PMID: 33921531.

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Anadioti E, Kohltfarber H. Radiographic Evaluation of Prosthodontic Patients. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):605-621. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2021.02.007. Epub 2021 May 3. PMID: 34051932 Atul Dhall, Sayemul Islam, Moonchul Park, Yu Zhang, Albert Kim, Geelsu Hwang. Bimodal Nanocomposite Platform with Antibiofilm and Self-Powering Functionalities for Biomedical Applications.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2021, Aug 18 (published online).

Backstrand M, Algazzaz N, Ozer F. Comparing the efficacy of shear bond strength with composite attachments and different ceramic surfaces-zirconia, lithium disilicate, and feldspathic porcelain. Online Journal of Dentistry & Oral Health, 2021; DOI:10.33552/ OJDOH.2021.04.000597 Blatz MB. Adhesive Dentistry: Just Bond It! Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2021 Oct;42(9):536-537. PMID: 34555916

Dr. Uri Hangorsky was named a Fellow in the American College of Dentists. Fellows are selected based on exceptional contributions to organized dentistry, oral health care, dental research, dental education, the profession, and society.

Dr. Markus Blatz has been named editor-in-chief of the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry; his appointment was effective with the May 2021 issue.

Borba M, Okamoto TK, Zou M, Kaizer MR, Zhang Y. Damage sensitivity of dental zirconias to simulated occlusal contact.

Dent Mater. 2021 Jan;37(1):158-167. doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2020.10.019. Epub 2020 Nov 21. PMID: 33234315 Carrasco-Labra A, Tampi M, Urquhart O, Howell S, Booth HA, Glick M. How to Identify, Interpret and Apply the Scientific Literature to Practice. In: Glick M, Greenberg MS, Lockhart PB, Challacombe S, eds. Burket’s Oral Medicine. 13th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2021:1059-1079.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Barack D, Rubinstein S, Milin K, Wang Y, Neiva R. Immediate single-tooth replacement with acellular dermal matrix allogeneic bone on sloped platform-switching implants: A case series.

Int J Oral Implantol (Berl). 2021 May 12;14(2):213-222. PMID: 34006082.

Ding Z, Qiu M, Alharbi MA, Huang T, Pei X, Milovanova TN, Jiao H, Lu C, Liu M, Qin L, Graves DT. FOXO1 expression in chondrocytes modulates cartilage production and removal in fracture healing.

Bone. 2021 Jul;148:115905. PMCID: PMC8106874

Blatz MB, Imazato S, Ozer F. Evaluation of human pulp tissue response following direct pulp capping with a self-etching adhesive system containing MDPB. Dent Mater J. 2021 May 29;40(3):689-696. doi: 10.4012/dmj.2020-145. Epub 2021 Mar 10. PMID: 33563846

Dr. Joan I. Gluch was honored by the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) as the 2021 recipient of the PDA Public Service Award.

Dean Mark Wolff was honored by Exceptional Parents magazine as one of its Top 50 Advocates within the disabilities rights movement.

Conejo J, Atria PJ, Schweitzer D, Blatz MB. Digital Implant Planning and Surgical Guides: Tools for Clinical Success.

Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2021 JulAug;42(7):400-401. PMID: 34297595 Conejo J, Santos T, Atria PJ. Esthetic Restoration of Severely Discolored and Periodontically Compromised Teeth With Novel Digital Workflow. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2021 Apr;42(4):164-168; quiz 169.

Conejo J, Sevvanthiraja S, Karabucak B (Co-author Dept. of Endodontics), Blatz M. Restauracao do Incisivo Central Superior Isolado. Odontologia Digital Innovadora e Inclusiva, Quintessence Publishing Brasil. 2021 Capitulo 11, Volume 3.

Leigh LY, Vannelli P, Crow HC, Desai S, Lepore M, Anolik R, Glick M. Diseases of the Respiratory Tract. In: Glick M, Greenberg MS, Lockhart PB, Challacombe S, eds. Burket’s Oral Medicine. 13th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2021:469-504.

de Carvalho IHG, da Silva NR, Vila-Nova TEL, de Fatima Dantas de Almeida L, Veríssimo AH, de Melo RM, Zhang Y, de Assunção E Souza RO. Effect of finishing/polishing techniques and aging on topography, C. albicans adherence, and flexural strength of ultra-translucent zirconia: an in situ study. Clin Oral Investig.

2021 Aug 27. doi: 10.1007/s00784-02104068-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34448074

Lima IFP, Brand LM, de Figueiredo JAP, Steier L, Lamers ML. Use of autofluorescence and fluorescent probes as a potential diagnostic tool for oral cancer: A systematic review. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2021 Mar;33:102073. doi: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2020.102073. Epub 2020 Nov 21. PMID: 33232819

Dhital S, Rodrigues C, Zhang Y, Kim J. Metal-ceramic and porcelain-veneered lithium disilicate crowns: a stress profile comparison using a viscoelastic finite element model. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin. 2021 Jul 22:1-12. doi: 10.1080/10255842.2021.1955869.

Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34289770

Luz JN, Kaizer MDR, Ramos NC, Anami LC, Thompson VP, Saavedra GSFA, Zhang Y. Novel speed sintered zirconia by microwave technology. Dent Mater.

2021 May;37(5):875-881. doi: 10.1016/j. dental.2021.02.026. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

PMID: 33715863

Glick M, Greenberg MS, Lockhart PB, Challacombe S, eds. Burket’s Oral Medicine. 13th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2021.

Manan DT, Kim J, Melo RM, Zhang Y. Design Equations for Mixed Mode Fracture of Dental Ceramic–Cement Interfaces Using the Brazil-Nut-Sandwich Test. Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology 2021 Oct 1 (published online).

Glick M, Greenberg MS, Lockhart PB, Challacombe SJ. Introduction to Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis: patient Evaluation. In: Glick M, Greenberg MS, Lockhart PB, Challacombe S, eds.

Burket’s Oral Medicine. 13th ed. WileyBlackwell; 2021:1-18.

Marya A, Steier L, Karobari MI, Venugopal A. Benefits of Using Fluorescence Induced Theragnosis in Fixed Orthodontic Therapy: Status, Technology and Future Trends. Dent J (Basel).

2021 Aug 5;9(8):90. doi: 10.3390/ dj9080090. PMID: 34436002

Hao J, Lang S, Mante F, Pavelić K, Ozer F. Antimicrobial and Mechanical Effects of Zeolite Use in Dental Materials: A Systematic Review. Acta Stomatol Croat.

2021 Mar;55(1):76-89. doi: 10.15644/ asc55/1/9. PMID: 33867540

Murdoch-Kinch CA, Johnsen DC, Wolff MS. Will the DDS class of 2021 be practice ready? J Am Dent Assoc. 2021 May;152(5):335-337. doi: 10.1016/j. adaj.2021.03.005. PMID: 33926615; PMCID: PMC8072715

Khanlar LN, Takagaki T, Abdou A, Inokoshi M, Ikeda M, Takahashi A, Yoshihara K, Nagaoka N, Nikaido T, Blatz MB, Tagami J. Effect of Air-Particle Abrasion Protocol and Primer on The Topography and Bond Strength of a High-Translucent Zirconia Ceramic. J Prosthodont. 2021 Apr 28. doi: 10.1111/ jopr.13372. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33909938

Ortiz AL, Rodrigues CS, Guiberteau F, Zhang Y, Microstructural development during crystallization firing of a dentalgrade nanostructured lithia-zirconia glass-ceramic. Journal of the European Ceramic Society 2021; 41(11), 5728-5739.

Ozer F, Irmak O, Yakymiv O, Mohammed A, Pande R, Saleh N, Blatz M. Three-year Clinical Performance of Two Giomer Restorative Materials in Restorations. Oper Dent. 2021 Jan 1;46(1):E60-E67. doi: 10.2341/17-353-C. PMID: 33882138

BACTERIA-YEAST BIOFILM In a study, an enzymatic treatment significantly weakened a bacteria-yeast biofilm on a tooth-like surface. This therapeutic approach, using beta-mannanase, could be used to treat early childhood caries. See the following article: Kim HE, Dhall A, Liu Y, Bawazir M, Koo H (co-author Dept. of Orthodontics), Hwang G. Intervening in Symbiotic Cross-Kingdom Biofilm Interactions: a Binding MechanismBased Nonmicrobicidal Approach. mBio. 2021 May 18;12(3):e00651-21. doi: 10.1128/ mBio.00651-21. PMID: 34006656

Paravina RD, Blatz MB. Editorial: A time of change. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2021 Jul;33(5):678. doi: 10.1111/jerd.12796.

Epub 2021 Jun 24. PMID: 34165224 Rodrigues CS, Aurélio IL, Fraga S, Kaizer MR, Zhang Y, May LG. Extended glaze firings for porcelain-veneered zirconia: Effects on the mechanical and optical behavior. Dent Mater 2021; 37(7) 1096-1106.

Rodrigues CS, Dhital S, Kim J, May LG, Wolff MS, Zhang Y. Residual stresses explaining clinical fractures of bilayer zirconia and lithium disilicate crowns: A VFEM study. Dent Mater Off Publ Acad Dent Mater. 2021 Sep 1;S01095641(21)00241–4. PMID: 34481666 Steier L, Figueiredo JAP, Blatz MB. Fluorescence-Enhanced Theragnosis: A Novel Approach to Visualize, Detect, and Remove Caries. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2021 Sep;42(8):460-465. PMID: 34449243

Teicher R, Henschel M. Pretransplantation and posttransplantation considerations in the oral healthcare of a patient with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma: a case report. Gen Dent. 2021 Jul-Aug;69(4):36-40. PMID: 34185666.

Wolff MS. (ed) A Collaborative Effort to Overcome the Pandemic. Compend Contin Educ Dent. June 2021 42(6): 262.

Wolff MS, Glick M. COVID-19 Vaccination: To Lead by Example or an Opportunity Lost. Journal of Dental Research. October 2021. doi:10.1177/00220345211049192 Yagci F, Unsal GS, Ozer F. Effect of Different Light-Curing Modes on Bond Strength of Ceramic Laminate Veneers. Int J Prosthodont. 2021 MarApr;34(2):221-228. doi: 10.11607/ ijp.7029. PMID: 33882568

Panchal N (co-author Dept. of Oral Surgery), Wolff M. The Profound Impact of COVID-19 on the Dental Profession.

Compend Contin Educ Dent Jamesburg NJ 1995. 2021 Jun;42(6):272–277.

PMID: 3407

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 27

“We know that wound healing is impaired in diabetic patients. The goal is to explore a potential therapeutic for improved diabetic healing by targeting stem cells in the bone and oral cavity.”

— DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20)

FORGING A PATH FROM DENTAL STUDENT TO ACADEMIC DENTISTRY ALUMNUS DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20) LAUNCHES ACADEMIC CAREER AS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PERIODONTICS OPPOSITE: Alumnus Dr. Kang Ko (D’15, GD’20, DScD’20) is now Assistant Professor in the Department of Periodontics. He is among a cohort of young faculty who moved into academic dentistry at the School as graduates of its DScD program.

DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20) WAS LEAD AUTHOR OF A PUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPER as a Penn Dental Medicine predoctoral student and was awarded his first research grant while working on his specialty certificate in periodontics and his Doctor of Science in Dentistry (DScD) degree here as well. This past May, the young, accomplished academic joined the Penn Dental Medicine faculty as an Assistant Professor of Periodontics, working alongside those who taught him not too long ago.

It’s been a gratifying achievement for Dr. Ko, who came to Penn knowing he wanted to pursue a career in academic dentistry, which affords him a rewarding balance of patient care, teaching, and research, which currently includes two federally funded grants.

Dr. Ko is among a cohort of young faculty members at Penn Dental Medicine who moved into academic dentistry at the School as graduates of its DScD program, including Dr. Helen Jeon (GD’14, DScD’16) and Dr. Hellen Teixeira (GD’19, DScD’19) in the Department of Orthodontics; Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa (GD’14, DScD’17, D’20) in Oral

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Medicine; Dr. Sumin Lee (GD'13, DScD'15, D'20) in Endodontics, and Dr. Yuan Liu (DScD’19, D’23) in Preventive & Restorative Sciences.

Dr. Ko’s faculty appointment is particularly noteworthy for Dr. Dana Graves, Director of the DScD Program and Vice Dean of Research & Scholarship, who has been a mentor throughout Dr. Ko’s training at Penn Dental Medicine.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of being in an academic environment is participating in the development of a student,” says Dr. Graves, who is also Professor in the

Department of Periodontics. “I have very much enjoyed working with Kang as he progressed from a student to an accomplished and trusted colleague. I hope that Dr. Ko’s success will inspire other students to consider various academic careers that are open to them.”

In his new role as faculty member, Dr. Ko sees patients one day a week and teaches students in the periodontal clinic, but much of his time is spent working as principal investigator on two research projects funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health.

His overarching research interest is promoting periodontal regeneration at both the soft and hard tissue levels. “Oral tissues exhibit remarkably regenerative properties, unlike many other organs in the human body,” Dr. Ko says. “The goal is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanism by which this occurs in the oral cavity, with the

“Penn offers numerous opportunities for collaboration within its community. I believe it’s an ideal environment for one to succeed as an independent investigator.”

— DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20)

hope of employing therapeutics to enhance oral soft and hard tissue healing, as well as translating these unique healing properties to other body parts to promote regeneration over repair.”

In particular, he is investigating how diabetes can complicate wound healing and how inflammatory conditions generally affect stem cell behavior in the oral cavity and bone.

He has found that inhibiting a mechanism in the stem cells prevents the chronic inflammation that often impedes fracture healing in diabetic patients, a finding that could have

implications for other inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

In 2017, he received his first NIDCR grant to investigate that mechanism by which diabetes affects mesenchymal stem cells, which are critical for hard and soft tissue regeneration. The study proposes that diabetes activates a pro-inflammatory transcription factor, NF-kB, and induces negative cellular effects in stem cells that participate in wound healing.

“We know that wound healing is impaired in diabetic patients,” he says. “The

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FORGINGPATH mechanism responsible at the stem-cell level is not completely understood. The goal is to explore a potential therapeutic for improved diabetic healing by targeting stem cells in the bone and oral cavity.”

Dr. Ko was awarded $522,131 for the fiveyear K08 grant, which supports career development for early-stage researchers pursuing biomedical, behavioral, and translational research.

Earlier this year, Dr. Ko received a second five-year NIH grant of $1.9 million to explore oral fibroblast heterogeneity and its implication for the exceptionally accelerated wound healing in the oral cavity. The study will determine if a specific, genetically traceable oral fibroblast population is necessary and sufficient for expedited wound healing by their progenitor and immune-regulatory mechanism.

Consider, for instance, that a wound forms a scar on our skin, but not in the oral cavity. “We found evidence that a unique subset of oral fibroblasts is primed to promote rapid wound healing,” he explains.

“The potential of this finding is significant not only for periodontal regeneration — for instance, the ability to take grafts from tissues enriched with pro-healing fibroblasts — but also for its implications in other parts of body that heals sub-optimally,” Dr. Ko says. “Regeneration over scar formation in response to injury is a huge topic.”

PIZZA AT THE PREDENTAL SOCIETY Despite his success at Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Ko’s path to a career in academic dentistry was not clear to him as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego. In fact, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he attended lots of student club meetings to try to figure it out — and, he admits, to get the free pizza often served.

One such meeting of the predental society would lead him to pursue dental medicine. At that meeting, he learned about a program in which undergraduates, under the supervision of dentists, helped provide free dental care to underserved people in the community. Dr. Ko recalls that Dr. Irvin Silverstein, director and advisor of the

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“We found evidence that a unique subset of oral fibroblasts is primed to promote rapid wound healing. The potential of this finding is significant not only for periodontal regeneration … but also for its implications in other parts of body.”

— DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20)

student-run dental clinic at the university, gave a passionate talk that day about how undergraduate students could impact the health of San Diego residents who otherwise would not get care.

“Once I heard what kinds of things the students were able to do, I wanted to get involved,” said Dr. Ko, who went on to earn an M.S. in neurobiology at UC-San Diego.

Dr. Silverstein became an early mentor and helped Dr. Ko forge a path that would combine his desire to do research with a career in dentistry.

It was his strong interest in research that brought Dr. Ko to Penn Dental Medicine.

Even before enrolling, he had reached out to Dr. Graves to ask about research opportunities available to dental students. After their conversation, he says, “It became clear to me that clinical training followed by a

research-focused graduate program was a very feasible path.”

Once on campus, Dr. Ko participated in the Summer Research Program after his first year, with Dr. Graves as his advisor, and then entered the Research Honors Program.

Dr. Graves continued to provide guidance and opportunities for Dr. Ko, including enabling him to publish a research paper as the first author while a fourth-year dental student. The paper on fracture healing in diabetes and the impact of diabetes on stem cells that regenerate bone was published in the journal Diabetologia.

ABOVE: Dr. Ko’s overarching research interest is promoting periodontal regeneration. Here he is isolating gingival wounds from a mouse palate.

OPPOSITE: Dr. Ko and Research Technician Zhaoxu Chen analyzing fluorescent images of mouse gingiva immunolabeled with different fibroblast markers.

OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN “The mentorship from Dr. Graves helped me develop many aspects of an academic career, including opportunities to grow as a scientist, effective communicator, grantsmanship, and research project manager,” Dr. Ko says.

“All the assigned responsibilities, I took as opportunities to learn.”

After completing his DMD, Dr. Ko went on to earn a postgraduate certificate in periodontics along with a DScD. Penn Dental Medicine’s DScD program combined with the postgraduate certificate is designed to provide the clinical, didactic, and research training to prepare graduates to successfully pursue academic dentistry. The quality of the program is reflected in Dr. Ko’s dissertation project, which was submitted to Science Translational Medicine and is currently in revision. After completing his postgraduate training in 2020, Dr. Ko was appointed Instructor in the Department of Periodontics, advancing to his appointment as a tenuretrack Assistant Professor this past spring.

“What I have been most impressed by with Kang is his ability to transition to an independent researcher,” Dr. Graves says.

“Dr. Ko will certainly add to scholarship at Penn Dental Medicine, serve as an important role model to students, and add to the reputation of the Department of Periodontics.”

As a Penn Dental Medicine student, his many awards included: four AADOCR travel grants to present at meetings of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research; the AAP Education Scholarship from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation; the Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Award from the NIDCR; and the 2016 Henry M. Thornton Fellowship from the Student Clinician Research Program of the American Dental Association. In 2020, he also received the second annual Ricardo Teles Clinical Research Award in Periodontology from the International Academy of Periodontology and International Association for Dental Research.

“My research interest is driven by the hope that it will one day translate to patient care. I hope my work will contribute to advanced therapies designed to help patients with systemic diseases.”

— DR. KANG KO (D’15, GD’20, DSCD’20)

He also has been a co-investigator of numerous peer-reviewed published studies, many co-authored with Dr. Graves, and has lectured throughout the country on research related to diabetes and fracture healing.

With his recent faculty appointment, Dr. Ko says he’s right where he wants to be.

“Penn offers numerous opportunities for collaboration within its community,” he says, noting he is collaborating with colleagues working in dermatology and musculoskeletal disorders at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “I believe it’s an ideal environment for one to succeed as an independent investigator.”

While his primary focus now is on research, Dr. Ko says, at the end of the day it all comes down to advancing care for patients.

“Even as an undergraduate, I found it extremely gratifying to be able to help patients,” Dr. Ko says. “My research interest is driven by the hope that it will one day translate to patient care. Many patients suffer from comorbidities and present with clinically challenging scenarios. There must be a way to address these problems in a predictable manner, which would first require understanding the disease mechanism.

Ultimately, I hope my work will contribute to advanced therapies designed to help patients with systemic diseases.” n

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ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS

PROFILES, GATHERINGS & ENGAGEMENT

“As an alumnus, I hope to leave a legacy of my own that will benefit others as I have benefitted. In my lifetime, I believe I can help make Penn Dental Medicine bigger and better.”

ALUMNI PROFILE: DR. DAVID SHEN (D'79, GD'81)

— DR. DAVID SHEN (D’79, GD’81)

Q&A: Board of Advisors Chairman David Shen (D’79, GD’81) In June, Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Dr. David Shen (D’79, GD’81) was named Chairman of Penn Dental Medicine’s Board of Advisors after nearly 10 years as an active and dedicated board member (see related story, page 4).

During his long tenure, he also has taken on leadership roles in fundraising campaigns for the School, including serving as Co-Chair of the Power of Penn Dental Medicine capital campaign, which raised approximately $70 million for School facilities and programs (see related story, page 2). In addition, Dr. Shen has provided significant philanthropic support to the School — he named Penn Dental Medicine’s admissions area and supported the Department of Orthodontics centennial celebration.

An accomplished clinician, Dr. Shen’s orthodontics practice — OrthoWorks Invisalign and Orthodontics Group — consists of three offices in San Francisco and

32 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

eight others throughout the Bay Area, where he lives with his wife, son, and daughter. His practice, one of the country’s top providers of Invisalign, employs 50 team members and has served more than 60,000 patients. He is also founder of the Northern California Asian Dental Association and has been an assistant professor at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Earlier this fall, Dr. Shen returned to campus to lead his first meeting as Board Chair. He shared his thoughts on his new role, hopes and goals for Penn Dental Medicine’s future, the keys to his successful practice, and words of wisdom for Penn Dental Medicine’s newest graduates.

You have dedicated almost 10 years to Penn Dental Medicine as a board member. Now that you are Board Chair, what do you hope to help the Dean achieve next?

As a Board Chair, my goal is always to help the Dean strengthen the School and make it more robust. When I was first invited to join the board, one of the major goals was to bring our facilities in line with the overall excellence of our education. We worked on a multi-million-dollar campaign that has made our campus truly state-of-the-art. I am so happy to say that we offer the best dental education at the best dental education facility.

Over the last two years, Dean Wolff has introduced several new, highly innovative centers and programs — the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry, the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, and the Center for Clinical & Translational Research — and brought aboard some very talented researchers and leaders to run them. In doing so, he has placed the school solidly at the forefront of policy and research in dentistry.

It’s really a remarkable achievement. Our job now as a board is to build and strengthen these exciting new initiatives and enable them to meet the goals that have been set.

Describe your role as Board Chair. What are your top priorities as you take the lead?

As Board Chair, my role is to be a sounding board for the other members. We have a very diverse, very knowledgeable board of 28 members, all of whom represent different industries and are top achievers in their fields. My job is to use their expertise and ideas to help Penn Dental Medicine grow and change.

We realized during the pandemic that our educational experience can be, and should be, more digital. We learned that we can treat many patients successfully with teledentistry and that we can teach effectively over virtual platforms. Enhancing these initiatives and strengthening our technological and digital capabilities will be a priority for the board in coming years.

Another priority will be to address head-on the subject of mental health among our students. We know that we must do everything in our power to support and care for students. We must treat each of our students as we would our own sons and daughters, with compassion and awareness. So as a board, we will be investigating meaningful changes to support mental health programs.

In addition to being on the Board, you’ve been very actively involved in fundraising for the School. Why is it important to you to help shape the future of Penn Dental Medicine?

What would you like that future to look like?

I truly admire the legacy of Thomas Evans in leaving his estate to create a school “second to none,” as well as the time and effort that School leaders have contributed over the years to make it even greater. As an alumnus, I hope to leave a legacy of my own that will benefit others as I have benefitted. In my lifetime, I believe I can help make Penn Dental Medicine bigger and better. I believe in it and I want to do my part.

Our transformation of the Evans Building is a great example. We were able to inspire enough alumni to help complete the project, and when I see students and faculty enjoying the facilities, it’s a dream come true.

I see the future of Penn Dental Medicine as an increasingly global one. During the pandemic, we successfully shared so many excellent educational programs virtually — not just with our students and alumni, but also with the world. Our school may be local, but the innovation and knowledge that we promote is global.

You’ve had a very successful career in orthodontics and built a thriving practice. What do you think have been the keys to your success?

There is a Chinese saying that translates to “Respect your work.” Dentistry is my work; I respect it, I love it, and I do it with all my heart.

It’s also important to have respect for others. I believe in communication and team building among my co-workers. I also believe in listening carefully to my staff and to my patients.

Embracing technology has been another key to the success of my practice. We were an early adopter of Invisalign technology and we have grown to be one of its biggest users.

We also embraced a paperless system early on and are now 90 to 95% paperless.

How did Penn Dental Medicine and its program in orthodontics inspire you and help position you for this success?

Penn Dental Medicine shaped many of the thought processes that I use every day. It taught me to treat a whole human being, not just teeth. I learned that before you even touch a patient, you should know not just their medical history, but also the important things about their life. Total health is so important.

I also learned to think globally, to think beyond each patient to the millions of patients around the world that suffer from oral diseases. How might what I am doing be used to help them? What kinds of policy changes and initiatives could make a difference?

When I am hiring a new orthodontist, I always look for a Penn Dental Medicine graduate, because I know that the School is dedicated to excellence and to training the movers and shakers of our field. There is no doubt that Penn Dental Medicine stands apart from other programs.

You’ve also brought other clinicians together in your area as founder of the Northern California Asian Dental Association. What was your goal in forming this group?

Although we do some continuing education and talking about issues in dentistry, the purpose of the group is largely social. It’s a chance to build camaraderie, and for others to get to know each other and to learn about what we do. We have 80 members, and not all are Asian — anyone may join us. We usually meet for dinner, and the food is always great.

As a successful alumnus, what advice would you give Penn Dental Medicine students and new graduates?

I would say that if you are graduating from Penn Dental Medicine, you already have what it takes to succeed. You were selected as a student because you are a leader and a motivated dentist in the making. You have persevered and finished a very challenging program, and have received the best training available. Now, your job is to follow your dream. Figure out what you want to do, and do it.

“Penn Dental Medicine shaped many of the thought processes that I use every day. It taught me to treat a whole human being, not just teeth.”

— DR. DAVID SHEN (D’79, GD’81)

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 33

ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS THANK YOU ALUMNI FACULTY Penn Dental Medicine is pleased to acknowledge those alumni sharing their skills and knowledge training the next generation of Penn Dental Medicine graduates as members of the School’s faculty. Presently, there are 250 alumni teaching at Penn Dental Medicine.

COMMUNITY ORAL HEALTH Judy Bendit, DH’81 Robert J. Collins, D’71 Lee B. Durst, D’83 Cecile Arlene Feldman-Zohn, C’80, D’84, GD’85, WG’85 Charlene Jennings Fenster, DH’75 Kari Hexem, D’15 Leonard Jensen, D’77 Randolph Mitchell, D’81 Mana Mozaffarian, D’06 John Newland, D’84 Abigail Quinn Peterson, C’96, D’02, GR’22 Andres Pinto, D’99, GD’01, GR’07, GR’17 Shabnam Sedaghat, D’16 Tatyana Straus, GR’15, D’16

ENDODONTICS Louay Abrass, GD’00 Mohammed Alharbi, GD’15, GD’17 Alan Atlas, D’86 Seung-Ho Baek, GD’95 Frederic Barnett, D’78, GD’81 Sarah Bukhari, GD’15, GD’16 Rina Campbell, GD’15 Prasad Challagulla, D’07, GD’11 Noah Chivian, D’59 Gilberto Debelian, GD’91 Rami Elsabee, D’17, GD’19 Ameir Eltom, GD’12 Spyridon Floratos, GD’09, GD’10 Nadia Gharbi, GD’13 Garrett Guess, GD’02 Hiroshi Ishii, GD’06 Yi-Tai Jou, D’99 Jean Kang, GD’00 Bekir Karabucak, GD’97, D’02 Eui-Seong Kim, GD’99 Jessica Kim, GD’05 Jung Baik Kim, D’91, GD’93 Anne Koch, D’77, GD’93 Eunah Koh, D’00, GD’03 Meetu Kohli, D’02, GD’05 Samuel Kratchman, GD’91 Lyudmila Kuznetsova, D’05, GD’08 Mariam Labib Soliman, D’07, GD’09 Brian Lee, D’00, GD’04 Kenneth Lee, C’91, D’95, GD’98 Michelle Lee, D’04 Sumin Lee, GD’13, GD’15, D’20 Martin Levin, D’72, GD’74 Francesco Maggiore, GD’99

34 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Ritu Manchanda, D’09, GD’21 Michael Stephen Marmo, D’95, GD’98 Melanie Martel, D’17, GD’19 Paula Mendez, GD’10 Marlene Oviedo-Marmo, D’94, GD’00 Rinku Parmar, D’02, GD’09 Kara Rosenthal-Fraiman, D’92, GD’94 Louis Rossman, D’75, GD’77 Chafic Safi, GD’15 Frank Setzer, GD’06, GD’07, D’10 Su-Jung Shin, GD’04 Martin Trope, GD’82, D’83 Helmut Walsch, GD’00, GD’01 Allen Yang, GD’02, D’04 Kaname Yokota, GD’16 Ya-Hsin Yu, GD’18, D’20 Irina Zagorodny, D’15, GD’17

ORAL MEDICINE Scott DeRossi, D’95, GD’97 Katherine France, D’16, GR’16, GD’18 Martin Greenberg, GD’68 Juan-Carlos Mora, D’06 Mel Mupparapu, D’96 Temitope Omolehinwa, GD’14, GD’17, D’20 Andres Pinto, D’99, GD’01, GR’07, GR’17 Agnieszka Radwan-Woch, D’01 Dennis Sharkey III, D’89 Thomas Sollecito, D’89, GD’91 Geetha Srinivasan, D’06 Eric Stoopler, D’99, GD’02 Takako Tanaka, GD’06

ORAL SURGERY & PHARMACOLOGY Lee Carrasco, GD’02 Rita Chuang, GD’11 Bruce Cutilli, D’86, GD’92 Douglas Ditty, D’99, RES’00, M’02, GD’05 Brian Ford, D’09, M’12, GD’15 Helen Giannakopoulos, GD’02 Eric Granquist, M’07, GD’10, RES’10 Bradley Hersh, D’09 Christopher Perrie, M’05, GD’08 Peter Quinn, D’74, GD’78 Rhae Anna Riegel Alcorn, D’11, M’14, GD’17, RES’17 Manal Sabir, GD’18, D’21 Joseph Spera, D’91 Steven Wang, D’09, M’12, GD’15 David William Wedell, GD’88

ORTHODONTICS

PERIODONTICS

Paul F. Batastini, GD’89, GD’91 Paul J. Batastini, GD’72 Normand Boucher, GD’82 Lam Cb Bui, D’18, GD’20 Matthew Busch, GD’99 Chun-Hsi Chung, D’86, GD’92 Guy Coby, GD’87, GD’90 Patrick Cuozzo, GD’97 Hayward Drane IV, C’06, D’12, GD’14 Joseph Ghafari, D’83 Peter Greco, D’79, GD’84 Douglas Scott Harte, D’88, GD’91 John Hayes, GD’86 Eric Howard, D’95 Hyeran (Helen) Jeon, GD’14, GD’16, D’20 Sam Kadan, D’95 Kevin Lucas, GD’89 Arnold Malerman, GD’72 Rosario Mayro, GD’76 Vincent Mongiovi, D’99, GD’01 Vanessa Morenzi, D’83, GD’84, GD’89 Hyun-Duck Nah-Cederquist, D’97 Robert Anthony Penna, D’93, GD’96 Michael Angelo Perillo, D’93, GD’95 Mohammad Qali, GD’21 Mandy Pen Shui, D’91, GD’91, GD’93 Nipul Tanna, D’90, GD’91, GD’10, GD’11 Hellen Teixeira, GD’16, GD’19, D’22 Gustavo Viggiano, GD’89, GD’91 Douglas White, D’85, GD’88 Xuefeng Zhao, GD’21

Mahsa Abdolhosseini, GD’14 Abdulaziz Alblaihess, GD’20 Sultan Alghaithi, GD’18, GD’19 Abdulaziz Alhossan, D’21 Harold Baumgarten, D’77, GD’82 Robert Benedon, D’81, GD’84 I. Stephen Brown, GD’69 Yu-Cheng Chang, GD’15, GD’16, D’18 M. Alexandre Cho, GD’01, GD’02 Caleb Cross, D’11, GD’15 Robert Denmark, D’91 Mina Ebrahimi-Daryani, GD’17 Howard Fraiman, D’91, GD’93, GD’94 Rebekka Gerson, GD’07 Dumitru Gogarnoiu, D’89, GD’92 Reza Hakim Shoushtari, D’16, GD’20 Wendy Halpern, D’99, GD’02, GD’03 Pouya Hatam Ebrahimi, D’95, GD’98 Brian Kasten, D’13, GD’17 Yongkun Kun Kim, D’94, GD’98 Jonathan Korostoff, D’85, GR’91, GD’92 Daniel Kubikian, D’01, GD’04, GD’05 Vu La, GD’15, D’17 Richard Levitt, C’68, D’72, GD’77 M. Jeffrey Morton, D’76 Alan Meltzer, D’72 Mana Khalil Nejadi, D’04, GD’09 Louis Rose, GD’70 Henry Salama, D’81, GD’86 Maurice Salama, D’89, GD’93 Hector Sarmiento, GD’14 Mehrdad Soheilimoghadam, GD’14, D’17 Tun-Jun Wang, GD’21 Arnold Wiesgold, GD’65 Michael Yasner, C’79, D’83, GD’84, GD’86

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY Joshua Bresler, GD’05 Evlambia Hajishengallis, D’16 Hamid Hayat, GD’79, D’82 Constance Killian, D’81 Catherine Lee, D’18, GD’20 Rochelle Lindemeyer, GD’79 George Lynch, D’05 Asal Mirhadizadeh, D’16, GD’21 Neil Moscow, GD’76 Sara Rashedi, C’01, D’04 Tony Saito, D’95 Deep Shah, D’13 Abhinav Sinha, D’05 Yoosung Suh, D’96 Maria Velasco, D’10, GED’10 Patti Werther, D’78, GED’78, GD’81

PREVENTIVE & RESTORATIVE SCIENCES Alan Atlas, D’86 Garry Adair, D’75 Evanthia Anadioti, D’17 Lilyana Angelova, D’08 David Appleby, D’74 Lyusya Badishan, D’13 Joy Bockstein Abt, D’94 Mihaela Catighera, D’03 Myung (Brian) Chang, D’98 Scott Chanin, D’83 Stefani Cheung, C’08, D’11 William Cheung, D’81, GD’82 Susan Eisenberg Cutler, DH’74 Nicole Deakins, D’14 Pamela Doray, GED’76, D’84 Jay Dubin, C’80, D’84 Keith Dunoff, D’84 Evan Eisler, C’11, D’15 Olimbi Ekmekcioglu, D’05 Cassandra Gafford, D’13 Michael Glick, GD’88 Ronald Goldenberg, D’75

Howard Goldstein, D’90 Kunaal Goyal, C’87, D’91, CGS’02 Edward Grossman, D’91 Karina Hariton-Gross, D’10 Paul Gregory Hunter, D’87, GD’88 Najwa Ibrahim, D’96 Patrice Ierardi, MT’80, D’84 Donna Marie Jankiewicz, D’88 Irena Jug-Weiss, D’87 Jae Woo Kim, D’07 Marjana Knezevic, D’12 Hua-Hsin Ko, D’17 Brian Korff, D’76 Heywood Kotch, D’77 Mark Koup, D’04 Daniel Kubikian, D’01, GD’04, GD’05 Shaun Lavallee, D’13 Marie Valentine Lim, D’93 Yuan Liu, GD’19 Arturo Llobell Cortell, GD’15 Ghina Maliha, D’91 Francis Mante, D’95 Mamle Mante, D’92 Ewa Matczak, D’90 Oqba Memar, D’13 John Muhr, D’67 David Nepa, D’91 Hong Ni, D’02 Fatma Ozer, D’13 Biju Paul, D’91 Isaac Perle, D’79 Janet Romisher, DH’84 Morris Rosen, D’92 Andrew Rosenfeld, D’80 Hal Rosenthaler, D’76 Najeed Saleh, D’94 Joseph Sandberg, D’84 Steven Alan Schwartz, D’76 Tara Sexton, D’88 Olivia Sheridan, D’90, GD’92 Jeffrey Sibner, D’83, GD’84 Mary Sidawi, D’02 Francis Smithgall, C’79, D’83 Eric Spieler, D’84 Joann Stettler, D’98 David Tecosky, D’79 Wilferd Vachon, Jr., D’71 Sharon Verdinelli, D’90, LPS’08 Lori Vespia, D’91 John Weierbach II, D’81, GD’82 David Jacob Weinstock, D’87, GD’89 Peter Wiesel, D’86 Lucie Z. Yin, GD’21

While every attempt was made to ensure this list was complete, however, should we have missed any alumni who are currently faculty, please let us know at alumnifeedback@dental.upenn.edu so our records can be corrected.

Ways to Give CARE CENTER FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

This care center is a one-of-a-kind enterprise dedicated to improving the oral health, and in turn, the quality of life for people with all forms of disability.

CENTER FOR INNOVATION & PRECISION DENTISTRY (CiPD)

SCHOLARSHIPS

Help open the doors to a Penn Dental Medicine education. Opportunities for term and endowed scholarship aid can be established to support predoctoral or graduate dental students at the School.

A partnership with Penn’s School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Center aims to accelerate discovery and translation of new therapies, diagnostics, and devices to address unmet needs in oral health and train the next generation of leaders in oral health care innovation.

ANNUAL GIVING

The Penn Dental Medicine Annual Giving Fund provides essential support for the School’s highest priorities, funds critical to the School’s success in adapting its programs to stay at the forefront of dental medicine.

TAKE A SEAT

Show your pride by naming a seat in either the enhanced William W.M. Cheung Auditorium (formerly B-60) or the Arthur E. Corby Auditorium (formerly B-13).

CENTER FOR CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

Under the direction of Dr. Patricia Corby, Assistant Dean for Translational Research, the Center provides centralized support to researchers within Penn Dental Medicine who conduct human subjects research.

DENTAL HYGIENE RESEARCH & INNOVATION FUND

The Fund supports PA-licensed hygienists to collaborate on research projects with Penn Dental Medicine faculty.

LGBTQ+ FUND NAMED SPACES

Naming opportunities remain to make a lasting legacy in the historic Main Clinic — now the state-of-the-art Robert I. Schattner Clinic — the new Schattner Pavilion, and the Henry Schein Cares Clinic in Honor of Edward and Shirley Shils.

CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH (CIGOH) The Center will unite health researchers, educators, and practitioners to seek creative solutions to address unmet global oral health needs.

Supporting research into biases against LGBTQ people in the dental field.

PLANNED GIVING

Planned giving enables donors to make gifts to Penn Dental Medicine in ways that complement their personal financial planning.

Learn more at www.dental.upenn.edu/WaysToGive.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 35

ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS

ENGAGED ALUMNI Meet the alumni who recently joined/assumed new leadership roles on the Penn Dental Medicine volunteer boards, including the Alumni Society Executive Committee, the Dean’s Council, and the Board of Advisors.

Judy Zack Bendit, DH’81 Alumni Society Executive Committee Delray Beach, FL

Joel Frankel, C’02, D’06 Alumni Society Executive Committee Margate City, NJ

Scott Chanin, D’83 President, Alumni Society Executive Committee Flemington, NJ

Alyssa Marlin Greenberger, D’02 Vice President, Alumni Society Executive Committee Tampa, FL

David Shen, D’79, GD’81 Chair, Board of Advisors San Francisco, CA

Ken Ingber, D’71 Alumni Society Executive Committee Washington, DC

Stefani Cheung, D’08, D’11 Dean’s Council Hong Kong Gail Spiegel Cohen, C’76, D’80 Alumni Society Executive Committee Bedford, NY Milan Doshi, D’07 Alumni Society Executive Committee Elmhurst, IL

Kristen Leong, C’16, GEd’20, D’21 Alumni Society Executive Committee Princeton, NJ Daniell Mishaan, D’03 Dean’s Council New York, NY Daniel Richardson, D’02 Dean’s Council Elkridge, MD

Lee Durst, D’84 Alumni Society Executive Committee Philadelphia, PA

Morrie Rosen, D’92 Alumni Society Executive Committee Philadelphia, PA

Caryn Siegel Finley, C’95, D’99 Alumni Society Executive Committee New York, NY

Derek Sanders, D’06 Dean’s Council Miami, FL Neel Shah, D’21 Alumni Society Executive Committee New York, NY Brigitte White Zinkovic, D’07 Alumni Society Executive Committee Alexandria, VA For more information, please visit www.dental.upenn.edu/boards.

36 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

By the Numbers

FY21 Giving & Engagement TOTAL GIVING

$18.7M 12%

TOTAL GIFT COMMITMENTS TO PENN DENTAL MEDICINE FY21

OF ALUMNI MADE A GIFT BENEFITING PENN DENTAL MEDICINE

ENGAGEMENT

1,288 1,250+

ATTENDED AN EVENT

ALUMNI ARE NOW LISTED ON FIND A PENN DENTIST,

www.dental.upenn.edu/map

CAPITAL & ENDOWED GIVING (RESTRICTED)

$18M

RAISED TOWARD CAPITAL AND ENDOWED INITIATIVES

ANNUAL GIVING

$400K+

RAISED TOWARD UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING FUNDS AT PENN DENTAL MEDICINE

870 alumni annual giving donors 69 Penn Dental Medicine Benjamin Franklin

Society members

HONORARY ALUMNA CORKY CACAS RETIRES For many Penn Dental Medicine alumni admitted to the School since 1995, Corky Cacas is likely associated with a special memory of their path into dental medicine — be it a letter from her inviting them for an interview or one delivering the news of acceptance. This summer, after 26 years as the School’s Director of Admissions, Corky stepped down from that role, retiring effective June 30.

“My love of dentistry and Penn Dental Medicine is beyond words,” says Corky, who was named an honorary alumna of the School in May 2013 for her commitment to students and the School. She was also inducted into the School's OKU Eta Chapter as an honorary member in 2008. “I’m so proud of all the alumni who have come through our doors and developed into tremendous professionals.

The relationships I’ve built with our students and graduates over the years has been the most rewarding part of this job. I hope to see them at future alumni events.”

Corky’s association with Penn Dental Medicine reaches back nearly two decades before she would become Director of Admissions. She started her career here in 1977 as Assistant Director of Student Affairs, promoted to Director of Student Affairs in 1979 and held that position until 1981, when

“I’m so proud of all the alumni who have come through our doors and developed into tremendous professionals.”

— CORKY CACAS

she was named Director of Graduate and Professional Financial Aid for Penn. She returned to Penn Dental Medicine in 1995 to direct the admissions office.

In thinking back on the many classes she has helped to build through the admissions process, Corky estimates that she reviewed over 50,000 applications and enrolled 3,100 Penn Dental Medicine students. She notes that her final class — the Class of 2025 — stands out as having the largest number of

women ever. This year’s first-year class has a record 106 women.

While Corky is officially retired and new admissions leadership has been named (see page 5), she is continuing to work in the admissions office in a part-time role, supporting the new admissions team through the transition and helping with special projects. She hopes to connect with many alumni as she travels throughout the U.S. during her retirement.

She can be reached at cacas@upenn.edu.

Class of 2021 OKU Inductees Penn Dental Medicine’s ETA Chapter of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society (OKU) welcomes its newest members, inducted from the Class of 2021 in May. New inductees are selected based on scholarship, exemplary traits of character, and potential qualities of future professional growth. The new OKU members from the Class of 2021 include: Nicolette Almer

Elizabeth Friedman

Emily Alper

Herta Granado

Scott Cannon

Grace Huang

Francesco DeMayo

Molly Makos

Marina Shamoun Derek Swanson Shirley Zhang In addition, Artur Kofman, C.D.T. Director of Laboratory Affairs and the Office of Laboratory Affairs Supervisor, was inducted as an honorary member.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 37

CLASSNOTES

NEWS FROM FELLOW ALUMNI

1950s

1970s

Dr. D. Walter Cohen (C’47, D’50) was posthumously honored during the Dental Volunteers of Israel (DVI) 40th Anniversary Virtual Gala on November 28, 2021 for the support he provided to American Friends of DVI and the DVI clinic for so many years. Dean Mark Wolff was invited to provide remarks honoring Dr. Cohen’s legacy at the Gala. For more information, visit https://blb.zohobackstage.com/DVI40.

Warren A. Brill (D’73), past-president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, has been appointed as the AAPD Congressional Liaison where he will meet with senators and representatives to engage their support for legislation that benefits and advances children's oral health. Dr. Brill continues to maintain a private practice in Baltimore and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

1980s Dr. Ike Roepcke (C’52, D’56) was recently recognized by the Bucks County Courier Times as the oldest practicing dentist in the state of Pennsylvania. Dr. Roepcke is a World War II veteran and, at 94 years old, has no plans to retire!

1960s After 57 years of practice, Dr. David Ulanet (D’63) shared his reflections on why he loves dentistry as a career. He concluded, there is no other profession “[that is] more demanding on your brain and skills, and…no profession has these demands other than dentistry.”

Dr. Ann Eshenaur Spolarich (DH’82, GED’99), professor and assistant dean for research at A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, recently received the Education Award by the Special Care Dentistry Association (SCDA). The award honors outstanding individuals engaged in educating the next generations of oral health providers about caring for individuals with special health care needs.

Awardees have demonstrated leadership in the field of special care dentistry, have worked to improve the oral health of patients with special needs, promoted awareness of oral health needs of this population, and more.

2010s

Steven Haas (D’83, GD’84) has been named the new Dean of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. Dr. Haas started his tenure on August 16, 2021.

Dr. Ken MacAfee (D’83, GD’86) was named one of Notre Dame football’s 25 greatest players of all-time by New Arena. Dr. MacAfee was a three-time All-American for the Fighting Irish and played professionally with the San Francisco 49ers before enrolling at the School.

2000s

Rosemary Lelich (C’09, D’14) earned board certification by the American Board of Orthodontics this June and has joined Family Orthodontics in St. Louis Park, MN. Parul Sangwan (D’17) was awarded the Thomas M. Graber Award of Special Merit by the American Association of Orthodontics in recognition of his outstanding research during his graduate education.

Lisa Guenst (DH’83) is founder/creator of ToothShower, an at-home dental care product designed for use in the shower.

Rosemary Wu (C'96, D'03) completed the Harvard Macy Institute’s Program, Leading Innovations in Health Care & Education. She is applying the knowledge as the Managing Partner at Capitol Periodontal Group as well as the Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs and Faculty Development at the College of Dental Medicine at California Northstate University.

38 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Michael Segall (D’12) and Colleen Segall (D’14) welcomed a baby girl, Sophia Rose, on July 8, 2021.

2020s Share Your News We want to hear from you.

Submit a Class Note to www.dental.upenn.edu/classnotes

Rakhee Porecha Mody (D'15, GD'17) and Ronak Mody (D'14) welcomed their son, Niam Zubin Mody, into the world on April 25, 2020. They are currently practicing pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, respectively, in Southern California.

Patricia Gabriela Sarcos Alvarez (D'20) and Hayes Kenneth Burrow (D'18) were married on December 31, 2020, in an intimate ceremony at City Park in New Orleans, LA. Patricia and Hayes met during their time at Penn Dental Medicine over their passion for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and are both currently OMFS residents — Patricia is a 2nd year at Parkland-Dallas and Hayes is a 4th year at LSU-New Orleans.

Or, you can send your submissions to: Robert Schattner Center Penn Dental Medicine Office of Institutional Advancement 240 South 40th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104

The Charitable Gift Annuity There are many ways to give and some of them can provide you with benefits in return. A Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) can do many things – once established, your CGA provides guaranteed fixed payments for life to you or a loved one. It can also help to minimize capital gains taxes as well as reduce or defer income and estate taxes. Most of all, your CGA helps to advance dental education, scientific research, and patient care.

How it works:

1. Make a gift using cash, securities, or real estate.

2. The University provides an attractive annuity rate and guaranteed payments for life.

3. The remainder supports the area and programs at Penn Dental Medicine that mean the most to you.

Contact us for information, including a personalized illustration of how a charitable gift annuity can work for you.

Elizabeth Ketterlinus Vice Dean Penn Dental Medicine Office of Institutional Advancement 215.898.3328 ekett@upenn.edu www.giving.upenn.edu/gift-planning

SAMPLE RATES FOR A $20,000* CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY ON A SINGLE LIFE Age Annuity Rate Charitable Deduction** Annual Payment

55

60

65

70

75

80

3.7%

3.9%

4.2%

4.7%

5.4%

6.5%

$4,081

$5,556

$6,883

$7,963

$9,016

$9,809

$740

$780

$840

$940

$1,080

$1,300

*Minimum gift amount $10,000. **Deductions will vary with the IRS Discount Rate at the time of your gift. Assumed rate 1.2%. Charitable Gift Annuities are not investments and are not regulated by the insurance department of any state. Not intended as legal or tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor. Not available in WA State or Puerto Rico.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2021 39

INMEMORIAM

REMEMBERING MEMBERS OF THE PENN DENTAL MEDICINE COMMUNITY

Carl K. Newhart (D’45) Naples, FL; February 21, 2021

Marilyn S. Hipple (DH’57) Pennington, NJ; May 6, 2021

Joseph C. Au (D’65) Fremont, CA; August 11, 2021

Nancy Tucker Mohr (DH’46) Reading, PA; September 18, 2021

Robert C. Westcott (D’57) Queensbury, NY; September 2, 2021

Edward Steven Hurwitz (D’65) Fort Myers, FL; May 27, 2020

Viola Howard Nichols (DH’47) Yellow Springs, OH; July 31, 2021

Faith Christensen Johnson (DH’58) Berwyn, PA; January 23, 2021

Stephan L. Hatch (D’70) Holiday, FL; August 13, 2021

Theodore Adler (D’50, GD’51) Stamford, CT; January 17, 2021

Bernand Zeifang (D’59) Bedford, NH; February 18, 2021

John H. Bell Jr (D’67) Windber, PA; May 20, 2021

Dorothy R. Cellini (DH’51) West Grove, PA; March 1, 2021

Virginia Ann Boch Bus (DH’59) Berwyn, PA; May 3, 2021

Gary A. Lewis (D’68) Venice, FL; August 25, 2021

Geraldine M. Woodworth (DH’51) University Park, MD; September 12, 2021

Charles P. Spaeth (D’60) Millville, NJ; August 6, 2021

Ronald G. Petrillo (D’75) San Diego, CA; January 27, 2021

David M. Stabins (D’53) Watertown, NY; April 25, 2021

Enso A. Mattioli (D’61) Easton, PA; June 26, 2021

V. Lynn Cochran (D’78) Oakdale, PA; August 16, 2021

Ilze Lakstigala (D’54) Arlington, MA; May 24, 2021

Gilbert J. Bardfeld (GD’61) Boca Raton, FL; September 7, 2021

Matthew Y. Wang (C’21 D’24) Princeton Junction, NJ; May 3, 2021

Mrs. Patricia Gallagher Ingrasci (DH’55) Portland, OR; January 1, 2021

Robert F. Masonis (D’61) Seattle, WA; September 15, 2021

Milton Newman (D’56) Riverview, FL; March 3, 2021

James E. Kennedy (D’62) Avon CT; July 7, 2021 Lewis A. Kay (D’64) Moorestown, NJ; March 26, 2021 Meredith Frye Conlan (DH’64) Plymouth Meeting, PA; August 3, 2021

40 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE ALUMNI SOCIETY 2021-2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Scott Chanin, D'83 President Alyssa Greenberger, D'02 Vice-President Eric Spieler, D'84 Immediate Past-President Members-at-Large Deena Alani, D'13 Pam Alberto, D'80 Judy Bendit, DH'81 Hope Berman, C'77 D'83 Jennifer Caughey, D'19 Larry Chacker, D'85 Sooji (Cindy) Choi, D'20 Gail Spiegel Cohen, C'76 D'80 Milan Doshi, D'07 Lee Durst, D'83 Keith Dunoff, D'84 Caryn Siegel Finley, C'95 D'99 Katherine France, D'16 GR'16 GD'18 Joel Frankel, C'02 D'06 Andrew Fraser, D'16 Maria Perno Goldie, DH'71 Wendy Halpern, D'99 GD'02 GD'03 Stephen Howarth, D'16 Ken Ingber, D'71 JV Kracke, D'17 GD'19 Daniel Kubikian, D'01 GD'04 GD'05 Bernard Kurek, D'73 WMP'03 Kristen Leong, C'16 GED'20 D'21 Bret Lesavoy, D'19 Rachel Levarek, D'11 Mel Mupparapu, D'96 Ngozi Okoh, D'12 Morrie Rosen, D'92 Steven Ryoo, D'20 Trevan Samp, D'14 Lisa Schildhorn, DH'75 Shabnam Sedaghat, D'06 Neel Shah, D'21 Josh Simpson, D'16 Matt Sones, D'12 Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, DH'82 Ben Truong, D'19 Gary Wegman, D'83 Michael Yasner, C'79 D'83 GD'84 GD'86 Brigitte White Zinkovic, CGS'04 D'07

BOARD OF ADVISORS

David Tai-Man Shen, DMD, D’79, GD’81, Chair Nancy L. Baker, Esq. Stanley M. Bergman Dirk Brunner, MSC, MBA Julie Charlestein William W. M. Cheung, DMD, D’81, GD’82 Joanne Chouinard-Luth, DMD, D’79 Terry Dolan, DDS, MPH Matthew J. Doyle, PhD Patrik Eriksson Allen Finkelstein, DDS Ruchi Goel, WG’04 C. Mitchell Goldman Steve Kess Anne E. Klamar, MD Anne Koch, DMD, D’77, GD’93 Haruo Morita Vincent Mosimann Joan O’Shea, MD Daniel W. Perkins Lewis E. Proffitt, DMD, D’73, WG’80 Garry Rayant, DDS, GD’77 Maria Ryan, DDS, PhD Tony Saito, DMD, D’95 Ken Serota, Esq. Alfred L. Spencer, Jr. Larry Turner, Esq. Robert Zou, WG’94 Ex Officio Members Martin D. Levin, DMD, D’72, GD’74, Chair, Dean’s Council Scott Chanin, DMD, D’83, President, Alumni Society

DEAN’S COUNCIL

Martin D. Levin, D’72, GD’74, Chair Robert Brody, C’80, D’84 Stefani Cheung, C’08, D’11 Egidio Farone, D’84 Charlene Jennings Fenster, DH’75 Joseph P. Fiorellini Howard P. Fraiman, D’91, GD’93, GD’94 Joseph E. Gian-Grasso, C’67, D’71 Jeffrey N. Grove, D’04 Elliot Hersh Anil J. Idiculla, C’98, GD’06 Meetu Kohli, D’02, GD’05 Brian Lee, D’00, GD’04 Daniell J. Mishaan, D’03 Saul M. Pressner, D’79 Daniel Richardson, D’02 Howie Rosa, D’82 Louis Rossman, D’75, GD’77 Derek Sanders, D’06 Gail E. Schupak, D’83 Tara Sexton, D’88 Robert Stern, D’87 Susan Stern, C’77, D’81 Arnold Weisgold, GD’65

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104–6106; or (215) 898–6993 (Voice) or (215) 898–7803 (TDD).

PDMJ ADVISORY COMMITTEE Beth Adams Director of Publications

Dr. Faizan Alawi Associate Professor, Basic & Translational Sciences Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Markus Blatz Professor of Restorative Dentistry Chair, Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences Sarah Burton Flynn Director of Strategic Development & Alumni Relations Maren Gaughan Associate Dean for Leadership Giving Dr. Joan Gluch Division Chief and Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, Associate Dean for Academic Policies Dr. Dana Graves Professor, Department of Periodontics Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship Elizabeth Ketterlinus Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement Dr. Robert Ricciardi Professor, Acting Chair, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences Susan Schwartz Director of Career Services Dr. Thomas Sollecito Professor of Oral Medicine Chair, Department of Oral Medicine

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Elizabeth Ketterlinus, ekett@upenn.edu Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement Maren Gaughan, gaughan@upenn.edu Associate Dean for Leadership Giving Sarah Burton Flynn, sburton@upenn.edu Director of Strategic Development & Alumni Relations Lindsay Murphy, lhonzak@upenn.edu Assistant Director of Annual Giving Megan Connolly, megcon@upenn.edu Assistant Director of Development & Alumni Relations Events Domenic Gaeta, dtgaeta@upenn.edu Development Coordinator Beth Adams, adamsnb@upenn.edu Director, Publications Pam Rice, pamrice@upenn.edu Director of Continuing Education Shaunna Lee, shaunna@upenn.edu Continuing Education Program Manager Office of Institutional Advancement: 215–898–8951

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