Teachers of the Year
Mary T. Vu was named Dental Hygiene Teacher of the Year. Dental Teacher of the Year went to Dr. Qian Wang.
Faculty members Dr. Qian Wang and Mary Vu recently received the 2019 Teacher of the Year awards, presented annually by the Texas A&M College of Dentistry Alumni Association and selected by the college’s student body.
Wang, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, was named Dental Teacher of the Year. Vu, a clinical assistant professor and clinic coordinator for the college’s Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, was named Dental Hygiene Teacher of the Year.
Wang received a doctorate in physical anthropology from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. He did postdoctoral training in human biology and evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa, and in craniofacial bone biology at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.
After eight years on the faculty of Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, Wang returned to Dallas, where he has served the dental school as course director of gross anatomy and graduate head and neck functional anatomy. He also has served as director of the gross anatomy laboratory and the anatomy course.
He is a National Science Foundation research grant recipient, a widely published researcher and sought-after speaker. His research focus is on craniofacial functional morphology and the history of oral and bone health. Recently, Wang’s groundbreaking research recognized the negative impacts of long-term low testosterone on oral health.
Vu received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a subsequent bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene at the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Aspirations to teach led Vu to pursue her master’s degree in dental hygiene at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and she’s now a doctoral candidate in educational psychology at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Her research interests are in human cognition, adult learning and holistic wellness and its positive impact on academic, professional and personal success.
Vu is a recent recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University. She believes students learn best from teachers who inspire them. Her goal is to encourage students to be the best health care professionals they can be while remaining compassionate, honest and kind.
