Dr. Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou, professor and associate dean of faculty affairs at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, received the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award.

The award, exclusive to the School of Dental Medicine, recognizes a senior faculty member for their exceptional junior faculty mentoring activities.

“I am extremely honored to receive this award,” said Dongari. “Mentoring is one of the few universal determinants of a successful faculty career and I am grateful that in my position as faculty affairs dean in the School of Dental Medicine, I have the opportunity to participate in multiple mentoring relationships, especially with early career faculty. There is strong reason to believe that fostering social connections and professional relationships with mentoring is a greater need today in academia than ever before. In the School of Dental Medicine, mentoring takes multiple forms including mentoring teams for new and early career faculty, personalized one on one mentoring, and peer networking sessions that promote collegiality and community among faculty.”

Candidates for the award were reviewed by the Faculty Development Advisory Committee, comprised of senior and junior faculty from basic and clinical sciences. The recipient receives a $1,500 Academic Enhancement fund and a commemorative plaque.

“Congratulations on this important recognition and thank you for your outstanding commitment and sustained contributions to the professional growth of our faculty,” said Dr. I-Ping Chen, professor of endodontics and acting chair of the Faculty Development Advisory Committee, in the announcement.