91PORN

The 2021 91PORN Presidential Excellence Award winners were announced this month and among them were Luis C. Yepes, DDS, MS, and Brian L. Mealey, DDS, MS, both faculty in the School of Dentistry. Dr. Yepes, winner of a Presidential Clinical Excellence Award, is an assistant professor/clinical in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and the director of the Advanced General Dentistry clinic. He is being recognized for his dedicated service to the development of clinical curriculum, quality assurance, and being a leader in the charge for the application of COVID-19 protocols and guidelines in the dental clinic over the past year. His strong commitment to the safety of employees, students, and patients since the onset of the pandemic has been nothing short of lifesaving. Being recognized as a winner of a Presidential Teaching Excellence Award is Dr. Brian Mealey, a professor in the Department of Periodontics and director of the Graduate Program in Periodontics. Dedicated to teaching and mentorship for well over 20 years, Dr. Mealey has earned a sterling reputation locally and beyond for his abilities as an educator. Over the past year specifically, Dr. Mealey has been a trailblazer in developing procedures that have been adopted school-wide in order to maintain the operation of teaching programs throughout the pandemic. His guidance on how to successfully create blended and virtual learning environments have enabled the trainees of the School of Dentistry to complete their programs and graduate on time. Of special note, Haley Nation, PhD, assistant professor/clinical in the Long School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, has also received a 2021 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. Dr. Nation is a highly respected course director for gross anatomy and a favorite among dental students. Her input as a member of multiple School of Dentistry committees has been of great value to the predoctoral program. The Presidential Excellence Awards were established in 1985 to annually recognize exemplary performance by those who consistently demonstrate a strong commitment to the missions and core values of the 91PORN.