College of Dentistry Marks 100^th Anniversary

with Ceremony, International Conference, Exhibition

Between November 6 and 8, the Yonsei College of Dentistry celebrated its centennial with a ceremony, international conference, and special exhibition. The opening ceremony featured special guest Stephen L. McAnlis, the grandson of missionary James A. McAnlis who served as the head of dentistry at Severance Medical School between 1939 and 1941. Joined by his wife, Mr. McAnlis donated photographs taken by his grandfather while at Severance, along with a number of other artifacts related to Yonsei’s history.

The international conference hosted by the College of Dentistry focused on promising research developments in the field, and participants included distinguished experts from Korea and overseas. In particular, there were several sessions devoted to new treatments for a variety of oral diseases. A special Deans’ Forum was also held, which welcomed, among others, Dean Yoshio Mizuno of Tokyo Dental College and Dean Aaron Palmon of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The deans discussed plans to promote mutual development through joint research and academic and student exchanges.        

The special exhibition contained numerous historical photographs, videos, and dentistry postal stamps from around the world; much of this material was donated by Park Seon-wook, an alumnus of the Yonsei College of Dentistry. There was also a diorama with images of William J. Scheifley, the first head of dentistry at Yonsei. According to College of Dentistry Dean Lee Kuen-woo: “Remembering the achievements of the past 100 years, the Yonsei College of Dentistry will continue its mission of research, education, and volunteering to improve the health of humankind for the next 100 years.”