University of Washington School of Dentistry

Dr. Sara C. Gordon will step down from her position as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the School of Dentistry on Dec. 15, after more than a decade in the role. She will retain her appointment as Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine. Dr. Anna Forsyth, the Director of Dental Education in the Office of Academic Affairs and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, will move into the role of Interim Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. A national search for permanent new leadership will begin in spring. Dr. Gordon’s career transition was originally planned for the conclusion of the School’s site visit from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in 2023, but when that visit was postponed due to COVID-19, she agreed to stay on until its completion this November. She has led the School’s accreditation team since 2018. For more on Dr. Gordon and Dr. Forsyth, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gVuEpVpa

Dr. Donald Chi, the UW School of Dentistry’s Associate Dean for Research, was recently featured in an NPR article titled, “Trump’s health pick wants to remove fluoride from our water. Does science back the effort?” “‘It's really rare for someone who has influence at the federal level to take a stand on an issue that directly affects oral health,’” Dr. Chi told NPR. “Chi said that fluoride has been a staple of oral medicine for roughly eighty years, since the U.S. added the mineral to the country’s water supply with the goal of reducing the incidence of tooth cavities and decay.” Read the full article on NPR’s website: https://lnkd.in/gfUSsdBm

In order for the School of Dentistry to modernize its spaces to include digital technology, multiple renovations must take place. The next step in ushering in a more modern dental school is the remodeling and upgrading of the D1-Simulation Lab, bringing the School of Dentistry to the leading edge of digital dentistry.? ? “Dentistry, as many other aspects of our lives, is becoming increasingly digital," says Dean André Ritter. "It is imperative that the School of Dentistry makes progress in this space, to ensure our students and patients enjoy the many benefits that digital dentistry offers to our curriculum, patient care and research efforts." ? “That progress will only be possible with significant financial resources, and along with financial contributions from the University of Washington and the support of our alumni, the Digital Dentistry phase of the Campaign for Clinics will position us very well to succeed in that effort.” ? Learn more about the Digital Dentistry campaign and how you can support the School of Dentistry's efforts to modernize our spaces and curriculum by visiting the following page on our website: https://lnkd.in/gdQy7XhF

Continuing the School of Dentistry's long-standing commitment to helping the underserved populations in Washington state, Everyone for Veterans at the UW is now entering its fifth year at the School of Dentistry. It remains a distressing fact that veterans cannot receive dental care from the VA unless they are 100 percent service-disabled. Veterans bear a disproportionate burden of disease or disability as a result of their military service. Their spouses are also affected. They frequently face barriers to employment for many reasons, including frequent moves, lack of child care and residing in remote locations. In Washington, 8.9% of the population — or 547,000 residents — are veterans. 6% of all veterans in Washington have lost all of their teeth. “Oh man! This program is really a blessing because my dental care has been really expensive and it’s such a relief to know that someone is taking care of this for me,” said Veteran Roger H. “I have very few teeth in my mouth and so I eat pasta and eggs quite a bit. I love hamburgers and I’d really like to be able to bite into one again. I really appreciate this care!” The School of Dentistry’s ability to provide treatment without cost is entirely dependent on contributions from the community. There’s currently a long waiting list of veterans who would like to receive care at our school. If you would like to make a gift this Veterans Day, visit the following link to see the ways you can help: https://lnkd.in/gbKtt_5s

Last week, Dr. Amy Kim and Dr. Randall Maebo visited the Kaiser Permanente dental clinic in Longview to meet with Dr. Cyrus Lee, CEO of Permanente Dental Associates. The group discussed a future collaboration to place residents of the proposed Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program in Kaiser Permanente sites around the Pacific Northwest. The Longview site, which has hosted UWSOD students for many years now, and Kaiser's Cascade Park site, will be included in the site list. The two partners signed a memorandum of understanding, and Dr. Kim, Dr. Maebo and the rest of their team will continue to move forward working towards CODA approval for the program, which they’re hoping to launch as soon as 2026. To learn more about the proposed AEGD program, a collaborative initiative between the SOD and UW School of Medicine, read the story on our website: https://lnkd.in/gPAWeFrM

A team led by UW researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) and the School of Dentistry have used a sophisticated 3D modeling system, originally developed to measure the force of beating heart cells, to reveal new insights about the cellular dynamics at work in the periodontal ligament. The team features Dr. Tracy Popowics from the Department of Oral Health Sciences, Dr. Priti Mulimani, who finished her postdoctoral studies at the UW this year, and Dr. Nate Sniadecki, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering an Interim Co-Director of ISCRM. The collaboration was born when Popowics learned about an innovative tool developed in the Sniadecki Lab. “When I found out Nate was studying the mechanobiology of cells and tissues, I was really excited,” says Popowics, who spent time researching in the Sniadecki Lab in between teaching basic sciences to first year dental students. “It was clear to me that his engineered heart tissue system could be adapted to study the periodontal ligament.” Read more about the team’s project and their interdepartmental collaboration on the ISCRM website: https://lnkd.in/gVzJDe5w

HealthPoint and NYU Langone Dental hosted a table at the University of Washington Dental Fair to talk about our Dental Residency program! We were excited to see Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Lord Farquaad, Vector, and other amazing characters so interested in Dental Residency. We're sure they'll make amazing Dentists! ????

The UW School of Dentistry has signed a lease to create an oral health care training center in the UW-Gonzaga University Health Partnership’s 840 Building to support the growing RIDE program, which just recently secured $2.5 million in funding for expansion. “This investment will enable us to scale the program to meet the needs of our region,” Dr. Art DiMarco, RIDE’s Spokane director and EWU faculty member, says in a release. “The partnership with Eastern Washington University is a huge part of RIDE’s success in Spokane, and the new training space opens up more possibilities for interdisciplinary training and access to digital technologies, which will benefit students in both schools.” Read more about the procurement of the new training center on the Spokane Journal of Business website: https://lnkd.in/gjdRh4QT

Yesterday, marked the end of the Presidency of Dr Linda Edgar, the 160th President of the American Dental Association. I am proud of what she achieved and thank her immensely for her service. Linda exemplifies authenticity and service. We also know that her work isn’t done and look forward to her partnership in the launch our reimagined membership model in 2025. Thank you Linda!

Digital Dentistry has become an integral part of oral and craniofacial patient care. Whether that includes using an electronic health record, digital x-rays, intra oral scanning, digital smile design, or AI to automate oral diagnosis, digital dentistry is only growing. The School of Dentistry is working to make progress in this space, to ensure our students and patients enjoy the many benefits that digital dentistry offers to our curriculum, patient care and research efforts. Students are excited to learn even more about this technology and its inclusion in the curriculum is becoming a key area they evaluate when making admission decisions. To learn more about the UW School of Dentistry's efforts towards modernizing our spaces and technology, visit the following page on our website: https://lnkd.in/g6ytFjuh