Expanding Engagement in China

Dean Kinane (4th from left) with Penn President Amy Gutmann and other Penn deans.

Philadelphia — Penn Dental Medicine is continuing to expand its engagement in China, presenting the Orofacial Stem Cell Research Summit at the Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC) on September 12 and being one of the first recipients of the Penn China Research and Engagement Fund (CREF) awards. The Summit and the inaugural CREF awards, announced by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price on September 10, were in conjunction with a week-long series of events marking the first 100 days of PWCC in Beijing, which opened in March 2015.

Dr. Syngcuk Kim presented a hands-on session on endodontic procedures in conjunction with the Summit

Representing Penn Dental Medicine in Beijing was Dean Denis Kinane; Dr. Dana Graves, Vice Dean for Research & Scholarship; Dr. Syngcuk Kim, Associate Dean for Global Affairs; and Dr. Songtao Shi, Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology. Also attending and representing the School were three members of the Board of Overseers — Dr. William Cheung (D’81, GD’82), Nancy Baker, and Robert Zou (WG’94).

“Penn’s engagement in China via research, academic and student exchanges, and broad partnerships with Chinese institutions benefits Penn’s campus and community and enhances global understanding and discovery by bringing the world to Penn and Penn to the world,” said President Gutmann when announcing the CREF awards.

Penn Dental Medicine’s CREF grant, Advancing Research and Clinical Practice in China, will support the development of high-level research symposia on bone, biofilm, and stem cells as well as conferences on the delivery of dental care to China’s vast population. Dr. Syngcuk Kim is the principal investigator of the grant with co-principal investigators Dr. Songtao Shi, Dr. Dana Graves, and Dr. Hyun Koo, Professor of Orthodontics.

The Orofacial Stem Cell Research Summit was held September 12 at the PWCC in Beijing.

Chinese partners include Sichuan University, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Fourth Military Medical University, and Drum Tower Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University. And other Penn partners on the grant are Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

“Our Summit marked the first collaborative research symposium between Penn Dental Medicine and our MOU [memorandum of understanding]-partner institutions in China,” said Dr. Kim, “and we look forward to building on this through the CREF grant.”

Penn Dental Medicine’s Orofacial Stem Cell Research Summit at PWCC featured faculty from Penn Dental Medicine as well as leading researchers from throughout China.