Chin-Chuan Fu, D.D.S., M.S., has been selected to receive the 2023 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award recognizes her exceptional accomplishments in both didactic and clinical education.

Fu earned her D.D.S. degree from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan and M.S. degrees from Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), then completed the residency program in Graduate Prosthodontics at UAB.

An associate professor and Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Fu joined the UAB faculty in 2007 with a focus on teaching preclinical, clinical and didactic prosthodontics courses. She was named associate chair of the Department of Restorative Sciences in 2021. At that time, she also served as Division Director of Prosthodontics, supervising the clinical and didactic programs.

In early 2022, Fu was named interim director of the Comprehensive Care Clinic. She quickly took a leading role to keep clinical operations running smoothly for employees, students, and patients alike as the school’s first-floor facilities were closing for renovations. She was later named interim department chair in November 2022 and promoted to department chair in August 2023.

“As this year’s awardee, Dr. Fu is a highly qualified and dedicated instructor known for her dedication to and passion for teaching that benefits students at all levels,” says Interim Dean Nicolaas Geurs, D.D.S. M.S. “A beloved mentor and champion of dental education, she was instrumental in designing predoctoral prosthodontic competencies, among other accomplishments.”

D4 Class President Heath Padgett extended his congratulations on what he called a “well-deserved honor for her excellence in teaching.”

“Dr. Fu is not only respected by students for her clinical expertise but also for how she demonstrates kindness to those around her. She constantly strives to make the school of dentistry a better place and is an excellent educator whom students enjoy learning from."

In addition to serving the department and student clinics, Fu is a UAB Faculty Development Program grant recipient and has regularly participated in the school’s Scholars Symposium. Her memberships include the American Dental Association, American College of Prosthodontics, and American Association for Dental Research, of which she has served in leadership with the Alabama Chapter.

She will be honored at a UAB ceremony later this fall.