The Cohen Amsterdam Education Foundation (CAEF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to perpetuate the philosophy of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary patient care created by D. Walter Cohen, DDS, and Morton Amsterdam, DDS, ScD, in clinical dental practice and dental education. The goal of “Giving Back to Dentistry” encapsulates the beliefs and ideals which guide CAEF’s activities, the primary objective of which is to support deserving students in achieving their educational aspirations.

The Board of Directors of Cohen Amsterdam Education Foundation includes:

D. Walter Cohen, DDS, is a world-renowned expert in the field of periodontics. He has served as the Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Chancellor at MCP Hahnemann University of Health Sciences, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology (AAP).

Dr. Cohen has authored and contributed to 22 textbooks and more than 125 articles and he has received numerous awards in the course of his career. Honorary degrees from Boston University, the Hebrew University in Strasbourg, the University of Detroit, and Carol Davilla University in Romania, and the Gold Medal from the AAP are just a few. Dr. Cohen was only the third American to earn honorary membership in the British Society of Periodontology, and the French government bestowed its Legion of Merit Award to Dr. Cohen in recognition of his significant contributions to dental education in France. In 1997, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem dedicated the D. Walter Cohen, DDS, Middle East Center for Dental Education in Israel. Dr. Cohen is one of only 23 dentists in the United States who have been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Cohen currently serves as Chancellor Emeritus at Drexel University College of Medicine. He maintains a private practice limited to periodontics in Philadelphia; the same practice his father began almost 70 years ago.

Morton Amsterdam, DDS, ScD, was Professor Emeritus of Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis in the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Periodontics and an internationally renowned dental educator and clinician.

Dr. Amsterdam, who was recognized by many as “the father of periodontal prosthesis,” had a far-reaching impact on the fields of periodontics and advanced restorative dentistry.

A 1945 graduate of Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Amsterdam served as Chairman of the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry within the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Medicine from 1963 to 1967 and was Director of Penn Dental Medicine’s Graduate Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis from 1969 through 1973. Throughout his career, he also held academic appointments at Temple University, Boston University, Harvard University, and The Medical College of Pennsylvania. Penn Dental Medicine paid tribute to Dr. Amsterdam’s innumerable contributions to the School and periodontics with the naming of the D. Walter Cohen and Morton Amsterdam Periodontal Clinic in his honor and the designation of the deanship of Penn Dental Medicine as the Morton Amsterdam Deanship.

In addition to the numerous other awards bestowed over his career by Penn Dental Medicine, an endowed chair in periodontal prosthesis was established in Dr. Amsterdam’s honor at the Hebrew University School of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, in 1973, where he also received the University’s Torch of Learning Award in 1973. Dr. Amsterdam also received an honorary Doctor of Science from Dickinson College in 1974; the Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity’s Achievement Medal in 1977; the Jerome and Dorothy Schweitzer Research Award from The Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics in 1984; an honorary Doctor of Odontology from Goteborg University, Sweden, in 1988.

Dr. Amsterdam was part of the International College of Dentists Major Contributions to Dentistry in the 20th Century Video Series for the Museum of Dental History in 1997 and was named Laureate for The William Thomas Green Morton National Award for the Advancement of General Dentistry in 2000 by the Maryland Academy of General Dentistry. In 2003, Dr. Amsterdam received the Master Clinician Award from the American Academy of Periodontology.

Dr. Amsterdam also maintained a private practice in Philadelphia throughout his academic career. He passed away June 27, 2014, at the age of 92.

The CAEF plans on giving three annual awards:
1. The Cohen Research Scholarship
2. The Amsterdam Clinical Scholarship
3. The CAEF Educators Award

CAEF welcomes involvement and support on various levels. More information about how you can support the Foundation will be forthcoming on this page.

The CAEF welcomes donations from individuals and corporate entities. Any donations should be made by check and sent to the mailing address of the CAEF:
Cohen Amsterdam Education Foundation
1500 Locust Street, Ste. 1408
Philadelphia, PA 19102

100% of all contributions will be used towards CAEF programs carrying out the CAEF mission. All contributors will receive a donation letter stating the following: The Cohen Amsterdam Education Foundation is a private non-profit corporation and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN # 47-4959140. Please consult your tax preparer regarding deductibility of your donation.