Dental hygiene professor wins Chancellor’s Award for teaching

When you have the discipline of a high-achieving athlete, a big, outgoing personality and a desire to inspire, you have all the makings of a great teacher. UNC Adams School of Dentistry clinical associate professor Jennifer Harmon ’07, ’13 (BS), ’15 (MS) fits this bill, and her talents were recently recognized with a Chancellor’s Award for teaching.

Before dentistry, Harmon was a competitive gymnast, training at the Raleigh School of Gymnastics since she was 5. The triple Tar Heel’s first degree from Carolina was a bachelor’s in exercise and sport science. After graduation, Harmon wasn’t sure of her next move. She tried working as a bartender, a dog mom, a personal trainer and coaching gymnastics at her old gym, but she missed the intellectual stimulation of an academic environment.

Her aunt, Dr. Bettie McKaig, suggested she try working at the front desk of her dental practice, and after two years there, Harmon realized she wanted to shift to a new career.

“I came to be a teacher through two great inspirations, my mom and my aunt. My aunt was a highly respected dentist, and I had the privilege not only to work alongside her, but to learn from her. I loved being in her office, and it was there that I realized I could combine the two loves my role models instilled in me: dentistry and teaching,” Harmon said.

Harmon enjoyed the prevention aspect of dental hygiene and enrolled in the undergraduate dental hygiene program at the dental school. During her second year, she decided to pursue her master’s degree so she could feed her love of coaching at the same time.

Harmon’s teaching style definitely stands out. “I am loud, full of energy and enthusiastic,” she laughs. “I’m the professor who keeps you wide awake. I bring the volume and, as my students say, ‘the vibe,’ so there’s never a dull moment!”

But the real key to Harmon’s success is connection and building relationships with her students. She says she tries to “lead with empathy.”

“It’s not about treating them like ‘Student A., Student B.’ It’s me wanting to get to know them. On the first day of class, I try my hardest to know everyone’s name in the class. It’s that quick and easy connection that builds trust and a psychologically safe environment from the start,” Harmon said. “For me, teaching is about connection and building positive relationships with my students and making them better versions of themselves. If I have done that, I have succeeded.”

Harmon working with a student during class. (UNC Adams School of Dentistry)

Her connection with her students inspires them, as well.

“Whether it’s staying up until 1 a.m. finishing a slide deck to make sure everything is the most up-to-date content, to sending students texts when they are absent to make sure they are doing OK, Professor Harmon cares deeply for those around her,” said Emma Thomas ’25, in her nomination for Harmon. “I admire her unwavering dedication to her field and the dental hygiene community she is a part of.”

Dental school Dean Janet Guthmiller called the Chancellor’s Award “an amazing achievement” for her faculty member. “This award is so meaningful because her students took the time to share their experiences and tell the world that she is a special member of our faculty. We are so proud!”

Harmon receiving her award plaque with Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. (UNC Adams School of Dentistry)