Dr. Georgios Giannelis (C), flanked by Dentistry dean Dr. Charles Shuler (L) and Dr. Hannu Larjava.

Dr. Georgios (George) Giannelis, assistant professor and director of the graduate Periodontics program, won the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics.

This award is given to the periodontal educator, at US and Canadian institutions, who has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in providing education in the full scope of clinical periodontics and relays that enthusiasm to students. Dr. Hannu Larjava, professor and chair, Division of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene, presented the award to Giannelis during a meeting of the Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences on February 9, 2017.

This acknowledges Giannelis’s graduate-level teaching and educational transformations in the graduate program since joining the Faculty in spring 2016. He has implemented an IV sedation component into the program and increased the number of IV sedation cases. He is also known for working side by side with students, focusing on surgical skills and interaction with patients.