Penn Dental Medicine Helps Launch Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing
Dean Kinane and Dean Gou of Peking University School of Stomatology with representatives from both schools at the School of Stomatology MOU signing.
Beijing, China — Penn Dental Medicine was part of the Penn delegation celebrating the launch of the Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC) in Beijing, China, March 9-10, also presenting a symposium at the PWCC on March 8 in conjunction with the Center’s opening.
“The Penn Wharton China Center will be a valuable resource for building on the established ties Penn Dental already has in China,” says Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean, Dr. Denis Kinane. “We were pleased to be able to debut this venue, as a vibrant gathering place, with our symposium.”
Faculty and senior administrators from five leading dental schools within China attended the Penn Dental Medicine symposium at the PWCC, which focused on teaching philosophy and advances in restorative dentistry, periodontics, and endodontics, along with an overview of Penn Dental Medicine’s scientific research, highlighting work being conducted on mesenchymal stem cells. In addition to Dean Kinane, the symposium speakers included Dr. William Cheung (D’81, GD’82) of Hong Kong, Trustee, University of Pennsylvania; Chair, Penn Dental Medicine Board of Overseers; and Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of Restorative Dentistry, Penn Dental Medicine; Dr. Syngcuk Kim, Associate Dean for Global Affairs & Continuing Education, and Louis I. Grossman Professor, Department of Endodontics , Penn Dental Medicine; and Dr. Songtao Shi, Chair and Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Penn Dental Medicine. Adding to this extremely strong Penn Dental Medicine delegation was Robert Zou (WG’94), member, Penn Dental Medicine Board of Overseers, and Founder and CEO of Arrail Dental Group, Beijing.
Dean Kinane was among eight deans from Penn who were part of the delegation led by Penn Provost Vincent Price to celebrate the PWCC opening. The full delegation consisted of more than more 40 faculty and senior administrators from Penn, including Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel. The two-day program, March 9-10, included a roundtable with Chinese university leaders to discuss issues in higher education, panel discussions with senior Chinese business leaders and Penn scholars, and research talks with Penn faculty and deans. Dean Kinane was part of the deans’ panel on how globalization is shaping breakthroughs in research and interdisciplinary education, and Dr. Shi participated in the research talks, presenting on translational research at Penn Dental Medicine.
As part of this visit to Beijing, Dean Kinane also signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate collaborative research and exchange with the Peking University School of Stomatology, where plans, extensively prepared by Dr. Songtao Shi, were announced for the National Center for International Research, a collaborative research program between Penn Dental Medicine and School of Stomatology supported by the Ministry of Science & Technology of China. Also on this trip, an MOU was signed with Wuhan University School and Hospital of Stomatology; Penn Dental Medicine now has MOUs with seven dental schools in China.
Penn Dental Medicine has early ties to China with the first Chinese student to graduate from Penn, graduating from the dental school in 1899. He became the first university-trained Chinese dentist in Hong Kong.
The PWCC is an expansion of Penn’s engagement with China and will operate through the University’s China-based affiliate, Penn Wharton Consulting (Beijing) Co, LTD. “The Penn Wharton China Center will play a pivotal role in furthering Penn’s dual missions of research and learning,” said Penn Provost Vincent Price. “It will provide a much-needed, on-the-ground hub for our faculty and students at Penn and Wharton, advancing both our faculty’s research and our students’ learning experiences.”