Penn Dental Signs MOU with Hiroshima University

Penn Dental Medicine’s Dean Denis Kinane and Dean Motoyuki Sugai of Hiroshima University Faculty of Dentistry.

Philadelphia — Penn Dental Medicine is continuing to expand its international collaborations with the signing a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hiroshima University Faculty of Dentistry, Hiroshima, Japan. The signing ceremony was held at Penn Dental Medicine on January 26 between Penn Dental Medicine’s Dean Denis Kinane and Dean Motoyuki Sugai of Hiroshima University Faculty of Dentistry. This was the first time Penn Dental Medicine hosted a MOU signing ceremony at the school.

With this signing, Penn Dental Medicine now has nearly 50 MOUs with schools throughout the world, including four other universities within Japan. MOUs facilitate faculty and student exchange and foster collaborative research.

The delegation from Hiroshima presented a guest lecture for Penn Dental Medicine faculty and students as part of their visit to the school with Vice President Tetsuji Okamoto, Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery, presenting an introduction to Hiroshima University, and Dean Motoyuki Sugai, Professor and Chair, Department of Bacteriology, providing an overview of the dental education and research activities within Hiroshima University Faculty of Dentistry.

In addition, the delegation met with Penn Dental Medicine’s Dr. Bruce Shenker, Professor, Department of Pathology, and Dr. Joseph DiRienzo, Professor, Department of Microbiology, to discuss possible research collaborations.

“We are excited about building new relationships in Japan,” says Dr. Syngcuk Kim, Associate Dean for Global Affairs and Continuing Education, “and look forward to exploring opportunities for exchange with Hiroshima University.”