Members of the Penn Dental Medicine faculty were recognized for their outstanding work as instructors at the Senior Farewell 2007, held on May 8 at the Ritz-Carlton. Presented by the Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society, the event celebrates the Class of 2007’s passage from students to colleagues. Each year, members of the graduating class vote for the awardees. This year’s recipients included the following:

The Senior Outstanding Teaching Award–presented to a faculty member who has gone beyond the scope of his/her responsibilities to significantly impact the class’s education at Penn Dental Medicine. This year’s recipient of the Senior Outstanding Teaching Award is Dr. Arthur Kuperstein, lecturer of oral medicine. Dr. Kuperstein has been with the School since 2002, currently serving as a clinical instructor for third- and fourth-year students. He is also course director and lecturer of the School’s radiology courses. Last year, Dr. Kuperstein received the Joseph L.T. Appleton Award.

The Joseph L.T. Appleton Award is presented to a part-time faculty member for excellence in clinical teaching. The Appleton Award is named in honor of Dr. Appleton, a 1914 alumnus of Penn Dental Medicine, who served as dean of the School from 1941 to 1951. The award was founded in 1979 by Dr. Abram Cohen, a member of the Class of 1923 and father of Dean Emeritus D. Walter Cohen, Class of 1950. This year’s recipient is Dr. Farideh Madani, clinical associate professor of oral medicine. As a member of the School’s faculty since 1978, Dr. Madani is currently course director of the Oral Medicine Lecture Course for third-year students, and a lecturer of the Principles of Medicine to second-year students. This is the third time Dr. Madani has received this award.

The Basic Science Award is presented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences. Dr. Elliott Hersh, professor of oral surgery and pharmacology, is this year’s honoree. Dr. Hersh has been teaching at Penn Dental Medicine since 1988. In addition to receiving this award 13 other times and the University’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, Dr. Hersh is an internationally known clinical researcher in the areas of acute pain and local anesthesia.

The Robert E. DeRevere Award is presented for excellence in pre-clinical teaching by a part-time faculty member. This award is named in honor of Dr. DeRevere, a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 1945, who served on the School’s faculty. This year’s recipient is Dr. Nathan Kobrin, director of preclinical lab and clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry. Dr. Kobrin has served the School as an instructor since 1993. This is the sixth time Dr. Kobrin has received the Robert E. DeRevere Award.