Rate My Professor Evlambia Hajishengallis

Evlambia (Betty) Hajishengallis is a Professor of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, serving as Division Chief of Pediatric Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program Director since 2016. She obtained her DDS with top honors from the University of Athens School of Dentistry in Greece in 1989. She then pursued graduate studies in the United States, earning an MSc in Oral Biology in 1994, a PhD in Immunology in 1999, and a Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham that same year. Dr. Hajishengallis completed her DMD at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Prior to her appointment at Penn Dental Medicine in 2012 as Chief of the Pediatric Dentistry Division within the Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, she was Chief of the Pediatric Division and Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry from 2011 to 2012, Associate Professor from 2008 to 2011, and Assistant Professor from 2005 to 2008. Earlier roles include Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry from 2003 to 2005 and owner of a private pediatric dental practice in Chania, Greece, from 1999 to 2003.

Dr. Hajishengallis's primary clinical interests focus on the prevention of early childhood caries, host-microbial interactions in the oral cavity and their role in caries pathogenesis, and the growth and development of the pediatric patient. Her scholarly work includes key publications such as 'Candida albicans and Early Childhood Caries' (2018), 'Neutrophil homeostasis and inflammation: novel paradigms from studying periodontitis' (2015), and 'Autoimmune Neutropenia as a Cause of Periodontal Disease in Preschool Children' (2016). She has received prestigious awards including the U.S. National Institutes of Health Dental Scientist Award (1997-1999), board certification in Pediatric Dentistry (2006), Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi induction (1994), multiple annual fellowships from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Graduate School (1992-1997), and annual State Foundation Awards for outstanding academic performance at the University of Athens (1986-1989). Through her leadership and research, Dr. Hajishengallis significantly contributes to pediatric dentistry education and clinical advancements at Penn Dental Medicine.