Faculty at Penn Dental Medicine in Philadelphia have expressed concerns about the dental school's alleged declining quality and retaliatory environment under its dean, Mark Wolff, DDS, PhD, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported July 24.
Six notes:
1. The Daily Pennsylvanian said it spoke with nearly a dozen current and former faculty members that pointed to a restructuring of clinical time that could have a negative impact on student learning; a lack of resources to support the increase in graduating class size; and a "dismissive" administration.
2. A part-time faculty member reportedly alleged that the school took retaliatory action against him after he criticized the direction of the school.
3. The allegations come as the dean faces reappointment for a second term.
5. Some faculty members did point to several positive changes made under Dr. Wolff, including expanded clinical hours, an increased number of faculty, increased accessibility for people with disabilities and additional student research opportunities.
Becker's has reached out to Penn Dental for comment and will update this article if more information becomes available.