February 18, 2020

Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry faculty member Dr. Parvati Iyer has been selected to receive the national Charles Craig Teaching Award from the Supreme Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU). An assistant professor in the Diagnostic Sciences department, she was nominated for her record of innovation, motivation, teaching excellence, encouragement of scholarship and other contributions to dental education and the school. The award recognizes young dental educators who have demonstrated innovative techniques in teaching the art, science and literature of dentistry. Dr. Iyer will be recognized on March 15 during the OKU Annual Business Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.

Dr. Iyer began teaching at the Dugoni School of Dentistry in 2013 and became a full-time faculty member in 2014. During her time here, she has implemented several technology-enhanced innovations in didactic, preclinical and clinical teaching. This includes designing student-centered online modules with Voicethread, a web-based tool that allows for increased collaboration and peer learning among students. Since 2018, she has implemented EdPuzzle to transform passive video watching into a student-centered activity by increasing student engagement. Dr. Iyer also added PollEverywhere Competition Feature to teach various topics to dental students. It rewards speed and accuracy through gaming, promoting good clinical judgement in day-to-day practice by engaging the student in the classroom.

Dr. Iyer’s innovation in online teaching includes collaborating with medical professions to develop innovative instructional materials for Dugoni School students and beyond. She was also part of the team that created a partnership with Osmosis, resulting in the Dugoni School becoming the first dental school to partner with the platform to create short dental animations/videos. The video on dental occlusion that she co-developed with medical professionals has been watched more than 100,000 times by health sciences students in the U.S. and across the globe.

Along with technology, Dr. Iyer has helped introduce the “Head-Heart-Hands” philosophy of teaching, which is a clinical series that focuses on the basic clinical sciences (Head), the patient-centered care (Heart) and the technical skills (Hands) need to succeed as a clinician. The H3 Clinical Series was a success due to its innovative feature incorporating gaming elements to engage the students in class and in clinic.

“I am delighted that Dr. Iyer has received this national recognition and proud that she is representing the Dugoni School, among all dental schools, in teaching innovation,” said Dean Nader A. Nadershahi. “She is a credit to the dental profession, dental education, and her community.”

Omicron Kappa Upsilon is a national dental honor society founded in 1914 at Northwestern University. The Dugoni School chartered its Delta Delta Chapter in 1934 to encourage scholarship and advance ethical standards of the dental profession. Membership is limited to 12% of the graduating class on the basis of scholarship, character and leadership. Students elected to Omicron Kappa Upsilon graduate with high honors and the valedictorian graduates with highest honors.

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Categories: Academic Programs, Administration, Awards, Faculty, Featured, 2020

Contact: Office of Marketing and Communications, 415.929.6434, pr@pacific.edu