van der Hoeven receives ADEA/Colgate-Palmolive Co. Excellence in Teaching Award

Associate Professor Dharini van der Hoeven, MSc, PhD, of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry has been named the 2023 recipient of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)/Colgate-Palmolive Co. Excellence in Teaching Award.

The ADEA/Colgate-Palmolive Co. Excellence in Teaching Award is given to a dental educator who demonstrates exemplary standards and promotes excellence in dental education through scholarship and innovation. The award aims to enrich educational experiences by generating intellectual excitement within dental institutions and programs.

van der Hoeven was recognized during the 2023 ADEA Annual Session in March and will receive a $2,500 award to be used to enhance her teaching efforts.

“To be recognized with the ADEA/Colgate-Palmolive Co. Excellence in Teaching Award makes me immensely happy, and it is incredibly rewarding,” said van der Hoeven. “I have always felt instant gratification whenever a student comes up to me after a class and tells me how much they enjoyed the lecture or appreciate the way I teach, and to be recognized at the national level, solidifies that gratification.

“I am grateful to have been nominated by our dean, Dr. John Valenza, my peers, and, of course, my students for this award. This motivates me even further to develop as a teacher and try to teach as best as I can.”

For van der Hoeven, who joined the dental school faculty in 2012, her teaching philosophy is influenced based upon her own academic journey.

“When I moved to North America for graduate school, I not only had to make several cultural adjustments, but also as a student had to become familiar with new ways of learning. Rather than simply relying on lecture material, the ability to ask questions and attempting to answer those questions made me an efficient and enthusiastic learner. I follow this same philosophy in my teaching; I encourage my students to question the facts provided to them in lectures and empower them to apply those facts to solving problems.

van der Hoeven is a proponent of problem-based learning and student-centered learning activities. Whether it be answering questions through Top Hat, a platform with interactive slideshow presentations and built-in student-response system, or small group activities during a lecture, she challenges her students to be critical thinkers.

With the Latin phrase, “Non scholae sed vitae discimus (we learn not for school, but for life)” at her core, van der Hoeven embraces her opportunity to give back by educating the next generation of health care professionals.

“I’m where I am today because of the amazing teachers I have had throughout my academic journey,” she said. “The ability and responsibility to provide that same guidance and mentorship to an entirely new generation of young adults, and sharing my knowledge while inspiring new knowledge is what I love the most about teaching.”

At the School of Dentistry, van der Hoeven is an associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences. Additionally, she serves as the student research coordinator and was appointed director of pre-/post-doctoral research, effective March 1. van der Hoeven also holds an adjunct faculty position within the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

van der Hoeven earned a master of science degree from Dalhousie University in Canada in 2004. She completed her doctorate of philosophy at Medical College of Wisconsin in 2008 and a postdoctoral research fellowship at McGovern Medical School in 2012, prior to joining the School of Dentistry faculty.

van der Hoeven is the School of Dentistry’s second recipient of the ADEA/Colgate-Palmolive Co. Excellence in Teaching Award, following Shalizeh “Shelly” Patel, DDS, MEd, who garnered the honor in 2019.