Michelle Chou, DMSc16, MPH08, and her a two-year-old miniature goldendoodle Bao are on a mission to spread joy in some of the most stressful settings. From dental office to college campus, the four-legged, curly blonde pup has wagged his way into the hearts of those who need comfort.

“He has a natural talent for bringing joy and happiness wherever he goes,” said Chou, who is an alumnus of both Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as well as a part-time lecturer at HSDM.

Bao is a certified therapy dog who visits...

Beaming as bright as the August sun, students in the Class of 2027 arrived on Harvard’s Longwood Campus to start an exciting new chapter of their lives. Incoming Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) students began a weeklong Introduction to the Profession, meeting their classmates who they will spend the next four years with and learning more about what they can expect in the first year of their program.

The week began with dental and medical students celebrating their transition into the healthcare profession during the traditional White Coat...

The career of the late Michael Lawrence Barnett, PD73, reflected a life full of service to others. It took him from the ranks of the U.S. Army and service in Vietnam, to the halls of academia, and then into the corporate world of consumer healthcare. His impact as an educator and leader in the field of periodontology is well known at dental schools across the country. The Michael L. Barnett Fellowship in Graduate Periodontology was first established in 2019 with an initial bequest of $500,000, and recently augmented through a gift from his estate. Now his legacy will continue to influence the next generation of periodontists through a second generous gift of $1.1 million from his trust to support Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s (HSDM) Department of Periodontology.... Read more about A Legacy in Periodontology Amplified by Generosity

Meet Our 2023 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

Matthew W. Plummer, Jr. 
Dr. Matthew W. Plummer, Jr., DMD73, MPH74, was recognized on June 9, 2023, with a Distinguished Alumni Award for his contributions to the field of dentistry and service to his community and to Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). Plummer grew up in Houston, Texas, in a segregated community in the 1950s and 1960s. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in biology. After teaching for two years in Kenya with the...