Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Xiaofei Zhu ENDO 21 Receives Endodontic Educator Fellowship
Dr. Xiaofei Zhu ENDO 21, assistant professor and research director of endodontics, is the first GSDM faculty member to be awarded the AAE Foundation for Endodontics’ Endodontic Educator Fellowship.
The fellowship is awarded annually to one full-time endodontic educator from a dental school that is accredited by or has a reciprocal agreement with the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The chosen fellow will be given funding for up to five years to help support their teaching and research pursuits.
“Getting the fellowship is a tremendous honor,” Zhu said. “It’s a very meaningful recognition, not only for myself, but also for the department and GSDM.” He added that winning the fellowship has not only motivated him to further dedicate himself to teaching but also reinforced his commitment to academic excellence.

Zhu was selected from a national pool of early-career endodontic educators and will be recognized for his achievement at the AAE meeting in April 2025.
Dr. Sami Chogle, GSDM chair and associate professor of endodontics, said Zhu has consistently performed beyond the duties assigned to him and has proved a strong commitment to both academia and endodontics.
“Xiaofei is an invaluable asset to our program who will help fulfill the mission of the department as well as the school,” Chogle said.
Throughout his time as fellow, Zhu said he plans to build upon the strong foundation he has laid in his didactic/clinical teaching, research, and administrative work.
“I will continue mentoring residents on their research projects, especially those in collaboration with translational dental medicine,” Zhu said. “I’m also eager to deepen my understanding of general dentistry to facilitate more multidisciplinary clinical research. I also want to explore research in education itself, focusing on improving the learning experience of both pre and postdoctoral students.”
Zhu doesn’t see this fellowship as a victory for himself. He sees it as an ever-evolving opportunity to support the GSDM community.
“The fellowship can be for five years, but actually my goals are always beyond that,” Zhu said. “This fellowship allows me the time commitment for teaching, but also with this kind of honor, I think it can also inspire our students and our colleagues.”