Dean's Message
Dear Members of the NYU Dentistry Academy of Distinguished Educators:
I am writing to congratulate you on the 12th anniversary of the founding of the Academy. At the event commemorating the launch of the Academy on May 3, 2010, I said, “Although excellence in teaching is indisputably central to the mission of educating tomorrow’s health care providers across disciplines, it is often undervalued and under-supported. The Academy is designed to change that.” And change it you have.
By promoting innovation, experimentation, and evaluation of methods used for instruction and assessment and encouraging approaches that are reasonable and evidence-based, you — the officers and members of the Academy — have demonstrated your commitment to elevating the quality of teaching and learning at the College.
Through initiatives including White Papers, the Clinical & Educational Scholarship Showcase, the Speakers’ Series, and the Journal of the Academy of Distinguished Educators (JADE), you have addressed critical issues affecting the future of dental education, not only in the United States but also throughout the increasingly interconnected global community of dental educators, researchers, lecturers, and mentors. And with your focus on championing the central role of teachers in facilitating innovation in teaching, conducting research, and creating an environment that enhances the status of health professions educators, you have created a unique think tank, one that is redefining and advancing our understanding of health professions educators.
I congratulate you on your many successes during the past decade, and I am pleased to reaffirm the College’s enthusiastic support and gratitude for the work you do.
Sincerely,
Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc
Herman Robert Fox Dean