Abdulmajeed, Naavaal named Revere Scholars
Aous A. Abdulmajeed, B.D.S., Ph.D., director of biomaterials and assistant professor, Department of General Practice, and Shillpa Naavaal, B.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., assistant professor, Department of Dental Public Health and Policy, have been named Revere Scholars at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry.
Revere Scholars exemplify the highest standards of the oral health profession as modeled by James H. Revere Jr. (D.D.S. ’65), former instructor, interim dean, fundraiser, mentor and friend to the school for nearly 50 years.
“Shillpa Naavaal is an exceptional member of junior faculty” says David C. Sarrett, D.M.D., M.S., dean of the VCU School of Dentistry and associate vice president for health sciences, faculty affairs. “Through her research in health disparities, health care use among vulnerable populations and dental-medical integration, Dr. Naavaal works to break down barriers to health care access.”
In addition to her assistant professorship at the School of Dentistry, Dr. Naavaal holds faculty positions at the VCU Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry, and Innovation, Oral Health Core, and VCU Philips Institute of Oral Health Research. She is also a member of VCU Massey Cancer Center.
“Aous Abdulmajeed is a talented and engaging faculty member with a proven track record of service and academic achievement,” Sarrett says. “With a Ph.D. in Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomaterials Science and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Prosthetic and Implant Dentistry, he has earned the respect of fellow faculty as well as students and staff. We congratulate Drs. Abdulmajeed and Naavaal for their outstanding efforts and support their future work.”
The Revere Scholars program, funded by the Dr. James H. Revere Jr. Professorship for Faculty Excellence, an endowment fund, recognizes outstanding achievements of junior faculty members at the rank of assistant professor and provides funding for their research and scholarly efforts. Recipients receive $5,000 per year for four years allowing them to nurture their interests in pursuit of becoming career academic faculty.
“Dr. Revere taught, advised and mentored several thousand students in their chosen career, a career that he truly loves,” says Sarrett. “It is through the generosity of these former students that this award in his name has been made possible.”
Spearheading the efforts to make the professorship fund possible were alumni James C. Burns (D.D.S. ’72; Ph.D. ’80) and John A. Svirsky (D.D.S. ’73; M.Ed. ’79). Beginning in 2009, the two donated seed money to honor Dr. Revere and create a lectureship. The fund has grown to more than $1 million and now provides funding for the Revere Scholars Program.
About the VCU School of Dentistry
Founded in 1893, the VCU School of Dentistry educates practitioners capable of meeting the oral health care needs of the communities they serve. The school provides opportunities for selected qualified individuals to study dentistry, advanced dental specialties, and dental hygiene under most favorable conditions and in accordance with the standards established by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.
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