University of Minnesota searches for dean of dentistry

This just in from the U:

University of Minnesota begins search for School of Dentistry dean

University of Minnesota Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Tom Sullivan and Vice President for Health Sciences Aaron Friedman, M.D., have launched a national search for the position of dean of the School of Dentistry.

Currently, Professor Judith Buchanan, D.M.D., Ph.D., serves as interim dean.

Sullivan and Friedman have appointed Trevor Ames, dean of the University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to chair the search committee. The vice chair will be Professor Bashar Bakdash of the School of Dentistry’s Department of Developmental/Surgical Sciences.

The School of Dentistry is the state’s only dental school and the only dental school in the northern tier of states between Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest. The school educates 79 percent of Minnesota’s general dentists. Also offered are education programs in dental hygiene (B.S. and M.S. degrees), and dental therapy (B.S. and M.D.T. degrees), as well as specialty education in six American Dental Association recognized specialties: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics. The school also has a general practice residency program, as well as advanced education programs in oral biology and in TMD and orofacial pain.

Within the school, 117 faculty oversee the education of 569 students. In addition to a major clinical enterprise in the Twin Cities, the school also has six clinical rotations throughout the state and another in South Dakota.

The School of Dentistry also has a rich tradition of productive research, with a focus on virology, biomaterials, the mechanisms of pain and bone development, and the relationship between oral and general health.

In addition to Dr. Ames, the search committee is comprised of:

  • Heather Conrad, assistant professor, Department of Restorative Sciences

  • Ralph DeLong, professor, Department of Restorative Sciences

  • Siara Elovic, student, School of Dentistry class of 2012

  • Rajaram Gopalakrishnan, associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic/Biological Sciences

  • Sven Gorr, research associate dean and professor, Department of Diagnostic/Biological Sciences

  • Gary Hildebrandt, clinical associate professor, Department of Restorative Sciences

  • Arnold Hill, D.D.S.

  • Paul Jardine, research associate professor, Department of Diagnostic/Biological Sciences

  • Richard King, professor, Department of Medicine/Genetics, Medical School

  • Sara Johnson, director of Student Affairs, School of Dentistry

  • Matthew Vaillant, D.D.S., community representative

The search committee will develop a rich and diverse candidate pool and will invite both nominations and applications for the position once the position announcement is completed. The search process will take place during the fall and winter with the goal of naming the next School of Dentistry dean in the spring.

“Having consulted with university President Eric Kaler, as well as those within and beyond the dental school community, including local professional leaders, we all agree that the School of Dentistry’s new dean must continue and expand upon its reputation for excellence in clinical education, training and care, as well as expand its breakthroughs in research,” Sullivan said.

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