Teaching awards 2007

Rams delivers smiles all around

Thomas Rams, professor of oral biology and Paul H. Keys professor of periodontology at the Kornberg School of Dentistry, specializes in periodontal microbiology and is known among his students for his kindness and dedication. Above, Rams studies a specimen in the Oral Microbiology Testing Service Laboratory, of which he is the director.

Photo by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Around the Kornberg School of Dentistry, Thomas Rams brings a smile to more than just his patients’ faces — he’s a huge hit with the students. 

They greet him with big smiles as he strides through the halls. 

They eagerly await his arrival in the clinic and joke with him during lab time.

Despite wearing many hats — he is senior associate dean, chair of periodontology and oral implantology, and director of the Oral Microbiology Testing Service Laboratory — his foremost commitment has always been teaching.   

For his tireless dedication, Rams has received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

“Dr. Rams demonstrates tremendous sensitivity and compassion toward his students, and does whatever it takes for us to learn the material,” says one student.  “He is exactly the type of teacher we want at the School of Dentistry.”

As the professor of oral biology and Paul H. Keyes Professor of Periodontology,  Rams never lets his administrative and research obligations prevent him from carrying one of the heaviest course loads of any faculty member at the Dental School, mentoring students or reaching out to those who need extra help.

“Our students receive an avalanche of information in their first two years, because by their third year, they’re actively treating patients, so it’s important to offer them nurturing, guidance and encouragement,” Rams explains.  “Each student has unique strengths and weaknesses. I try to individualize my approach to meet their specific needs so that they will offer the best possible care to their patients.”

This focus on his students stems from what Rams learned from his own mentors.  “It’s hard to become an excellent teacher without being exposed to excellent teachers to emulate,” he says.

After earning his doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Maryland in 1980, Rams went on to a dental staff fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where he worked side-by-side with legendary dental researcher Paul H. Keyes, the namesake of Rams’ professorship in periodontology.

Rams also cites Jorgen Slots, a world-renowned researcher in periodontal microbiology, as the man who taught Rams all he knows about periodontal microbiology, and is grateful to Dean Martin Tansy, who facilitated the transfer of Rams’ entire Oral Microbiology Testing Service Laboratory to Temple.   “Without him, there would be no lab,” Rams says.

Despite his praise, Rams remains humble.  “I am very fortunate to receive recognition for my teaching, because there are many outstanding dental educators at this school who do similar things as I do every day.”         

By Renee Cree