Dea
n PDM 1972-1983
Dr. D. Walter Cohen (1928–2018)
Dean of Penn Dental Medicine, 1972–1983
An internationally recognized leader in dental education, Dr. D. Walter Cohen served as Dean of Penn Dental Medicine from 1972 to 1983. He pioneered innovative approaches to curriculum and training, most notably through The Pennsylvania Experiment, his transformative model for educating future dentists, detailed in his book Educating the Dentist of the Future.
Dr. Cohen authored or contributed to 22 textbooks and over 125 scholarly articles, and in 1997, the Hebrew University honored his global impact by dedicating the D. Walter Cohen Middle East Center for Dental Education in his name.
A testament to his lasting influence, Dr. Cohen was one of the few dentists elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Image source: University of Pennsylvania Almanac
"Dean Cohen not only shapred the future of Penn's School of Dental Medicine, but he shapred the dentistry practice worldwide...he related periodontal disease to restorative dentistry, worked to enhance the outcomes of patient oral helth, and changed the face of dental education. He served humanity worldwide with service to universities and patients throughout the world, including close relationships with schools in Israel and Europe."
-Mark S. Wolff, Morton Amsterdam Dean
Educating the Dentist of the Future
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