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ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS
ALUMNI PROFILE: DR. DAVID SHEN (D'79, GD'81) “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.”
— 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 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.
— DR. DAVID SHEN (D’79, GD’81)
