Dr. Awab Abdulmajeed, assistant professor in the Department of General Practice, director of the International Dentist Program and Dr. Rafael Siqueira, assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics, director of Graduate Periodontics, have been named Revere Scholars at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry.

Revere Scholars exemplify the highest standards of the oral health profession as modeled by Dr. James H. Revere Jr. (D.D.S. ’65), who worked at VCU School of Dentistry for nearly 50 years and held a variety of positions including instructor and interim dean.

The prestigious award recognizes junior faculty members at the rank of assistant professor who have made outstanding contributions to the school and who show continued excellence and commitment to education and research.

“Drs Abdulmajeed and Siqueira represent all that Dr. Revere stands for in our profession, ” said Dr. Lyndon F. Cooper, dean of the VCU School of Dentistry. “These talented and engaging faculty members have proven track records of service to our school. I congratulate them for their outstanding efforts and support their future work.”

Abdulmajeed has been with VCU since 2020. He was nominated by Dr. Terence Imbery, interim chair of the Department of General Practice.  

Abdulmajeed has held a lifelong passion for dentistry and research, particularly with CAD/CAM research as he also serves as the CAD/CAM clinic director. His passion started at an early age, as both his parents and his siblings also practice dentistry.

For Abdulmajeed, his ultimate goal is to become a master of his field. He views mastery as someone who combines research, education and service to give the best possible treatment to those in need.

“I chose to be a part of an academic institution because it gives me the opportunity to do all of these and get better at them every day,” he said.

As a Revere Scholar, Abdulmajeed intends to take digital dentistry to a new level. He will further his own education in the field while continuing to teach students and lead a team.

“I want to leave a lasting impact on my students,” he said. “I want to teach them concepts and impactful ideas that they will remember years from now.”

Siqueira has been with VCU School of Dentistry since 2021. He was nominated for the Revere Scholar award by Dr. Sharon Lanning, chair of the Department of Periodontics. He described the experience as “truly an honor”.

His passion for both dentistry and teaching started at an early age; both of his parents practiced dentistry and his father was an educator.

“I was able to witness at an early age how impactful dentistry is,” Siqueira said. “I saw my parents helping so many people and form lifelong connections, especially with students. In this field, you have the opportunity to change lives.”

Siqueira will continue to teach and work closely with students in the periodontics program and further his research career through collaboration and pursuing new projects. His goal as a member of the VCU School of Dentistry faculty is to keep improving the already strong clinical program and expand clinical research. 

“Success starts with satisfied patients who see improvements in their health,” he said. “For that we need a positive environment with improved clinical workflows where everyone is safe, happy, and collaborative so they can continue to grow and learn.”

He also hopes to strengthen his leadership skills. 

“My goal is to be better than yesterday and worse than tomorrow,” Siqueira said. “I want to continue to grow as a professional and a person.”

The recipients of Revere Scholarship are nominated by a colleague and then elected by the Revere Scholars Subcommittee and the Administrative Committee. Each recipient will receive $5,000 dollars to be used towards research and scholarly efforts.

The scholarship is made possible by the Revere Professorship Fund, an endowment for supporting faculty development. It was created to honor Revere, who taught, mentored and advised thousands of students throughout his career with much love and passion. His students, starting with Dr. James Burns (D.D.S. '72) and Dr. John Svirsky (D.D.S. '73), started the scholarship in his honor.