Monthly Communication - November/December 2007 Edition

Thank you everyone for your boundless efforts, energy and commitment to our School and to our profession. Two-thousand and seven has been a year of remarkable growth, with new ventures for our School. I look forward to working with each of you to ensure that our new programs are a success. Best wishes for safe travels and happy holidays

-Martha

FACULTY

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of John C. Wataha, DMD, PhD as Chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Washington. Dr. Wataha comes to us from the School of Dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia, where he was Professor in the Department of Oral Biology and Maxillofacial Pathology with joint appointments in the Dental Materials Division, Department of Oral Rehabilitation and School of Graduate Studies since 2004. He will assume the position vacated by Glen Johnson, who served as interim chair following the retirement of Richard (Dick) McCoy in 2006. A prominent researcher and educator, Dr. Wataha will teach courses in restorative dentistry and will continue to pursue his interests, which range from the interface between dental materials science, basic cellular biology and clinical practice. He will maintain his existing collaborations with investigators internationally on interdisciplinary projects focusing on the cellular and molecular interactions between oral tissues and materials – a field known as biocompatibility. Dr. Wataha will begin his appointment as Chair in January 2008. Please join me in welcoming him.

On November 15, Douglas Ramsay, Chair of the Department of Dental Public Health Science was appointed Director of the Regional Clinical Dental Research Center (RCDRC). In this capacity, Dr. Ramsay will work with the recently funded UW Institute for Translational Health Science (ITHS). The RCDRC will function as a component of the ITHS Clinical Research Center Network. As Director, he will be responsible for working with faculty and students to increase clinical research activities that utilize the RCDRC facilities, especially those with National Institute of Health (NIH) and/or commercial support. The ITHS will provide some support to help maintain staffing, but research conducted in the RCDRC will still be required to be self-supporting. Dr. Ramsay has been involved in the RCDRC in an advisory capacity since its inception and replaces Roy Page, who has served as Director since it was initially funded in the early 1990’s. Please join me in thanking Dr. Page for his efforts in creating and maintaining the RCDRC and Dr. Ramsay for his willingness to take on this new challenge.

STAFF

Please join me in welcoming Tara Adolfi to the School of Dentistry as the Director of Compliance. Tara brings a wealth of experience, skill and institutional knowledge to this position. She is a Certified Healthcare Compliance Consultant and Certified Professional Coder. Tara has been working in the healthcare field for the last fourteen years. Previously she served as Senior Claims Examiner for Aetna US Healthcare and as a Lead Coding and Reimbursement Specialist with The Polyclinic. For the past seven years Tara has served the University of Washington (UW) as Radiology Support Services Manager. More recently she worked as the UW Physicians Assistant Compliance Director and UW Medical Center (UWMC) Compliance Project Manager.

CAMPUS COMMUNITY

The Board of Deans and Chancellors, with Provost Phyllis Wise in attendance, held their annual retreat at Willows Lodge in Woodinville on December 4 and 5. Discussion centered on a variety of topics including our role as a global university, the UW’s Vision statement and the six core values to which we aspire: excellence, collaboration, innovation, integrity, diversity and respect.

DENTAL COMMUNITY CONTACTS

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) hosted the 49th Annual Dean’s Conference in Austin, Texas the week of November 3 - 6. Wendy Mouradian, Program Director for the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE), and I participated in the three day seminar, titled “Enhancing a Culture of Professionalism in Dentistry”. Topics for the six session series ran the gamut and included “Understanding Ethics and Ethical Challenges”, as well as ethical awareness and values definition, ethical analysis and dilemma resolution.

Between November 12-14 the American Dental Association (ADA) hosted the “American Indian/Alaska Native Oral Health Access Summit” in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. I attended as a liaison between ADEA and the ADA. Featured speakers addressed early childhood caries and the dental disease burden, and included discussions about common ground and the many ways in which communities may be able to collaborate on oral health access issues.

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

In July 2007, the Hospital Dentistry Clinic, which was previously located at UWMC’s Roosevelt Building, reopened in the Health Sciences Center Room D-258 as a division of the Department of Oral Medicine. The Hospital Dentistry Clinic has eight treatment rooms, three attending dentists, three residents and seven dental support staff (hygienists, assistants, office staff). The Clinic will continue to offer treatment to faculty and staff, patients requiring assessment and management for dental clearance or stabilization prior to medical treatment for cardiac, oncology, transplant medicine, and other clinical services. The Clinic will continue to specialize in dental care for individuals with complex medical problems. Following sixteen years of service as Director of General Practice Residency (GPR) Program and one year as Acting Director of Hospital Dentistry, Bart Johnson has decided to pursue his interests in private practice. Ana Martinez and Robert (Bob) Nieman now serve as co-directors of the GPR Program and as attending providers in the Hospital Dentistry Clinic.

Appointments in Hospital Dentistry Clinic, Health Sciences: D-258	543-1511
Inpatient Dental consultation and services (24 hrs):	Page: 598-6190
Hospital Dentistry Patient Care Coordinator (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM):	685-2816 Page: 540-6431
Direct contact with Dental Attending (8:00 AM – 500 PM):	685-2816 or 543-1511
After hours Dental Emergency Care:	Page: 598-6190

UW DENTAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (UWDAA)

A top priority of the UWDAA is to help dental students become more aware of the Association’s efforts behind-the-scenes. Two events in November helped to accomplish this. The Annual Mentor Reception, which was held on November 16 and co-sponsored by the Washington State Dental Association (WSDA), brought together approximately 150 students and prospective mentors to the Botanic Gardens Conference Centre in Seattle. The evening’s program provided students an opportunity to talk with alumni about post-graduation plans in a unique setting. Featured speakers included WSDA President Dexter Barnes; UW Dental Alumni President-elect Ed Dolan; Associate Dean of Student Services and Admissions Jim Steiner; Mentor-Dentist Barry Feder and Student Council President Garret Yamaguchi. Another way that UWDAA aimed to accomplish this goal was with the co-sponsorship of the annual Student Social. With heavy involvement from the Student Council, the reception was hosted in the Student Lounge on November 30. Not only did the event provide students an opportunity to unwind, but it also afforded them a chance to ask questions of Drs. Ed Dolan (President-elect), Mike Kern (Secretary), Mark Drangsholt (Chair of marketing, membership) and others about their interests and aspirations.

CONTINUING DENTAL EDUCATION (CDE)

On November 2, one-hundred seventy-seven people attended the Sixth Washington Dental Service Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Dentistry Symposium. Hosted by Continuing Dental Education (CDE), the two day conference honored Washington Dental Service Foundation Distinguished Professor Greg King. The Symposium featured eight national and international speakers whose presentations centered on the theme, “Meeting of the Minds: Dialogues on Orthodontics in Clinical Dental Practice”. Two decades after it was first established, the symposium continues to make a significant impact on our school, drawing researchers, academicians and a community of practicing dentists together to share information and findings. Congratulations to Dr. King on this latest academic achievement and special thanks to the Washington Dental Service Foundation for their service to our School and dedication to our profession.

OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT (CAMPAIGN UW: CREATING FUTURES)

Thanks to the staggering generosity of the Washington Dental Service and the Washington Dental Service Foundation, a lead gift of $5 million will help to build the Washington Dental Service Building for Early Childhood Oral Health, a facility to house an innovative clinical, research and training program, known as the Early Childhood Oral Health (ECOH) program. This gift serves as a catalyst for our efforts to improve the dental care of children by bringing oral health care and medical professionals together under one roof to impact healthcare delivery models, research and education.

 

A complete list of School of Dentistry events and archived editions of the Dean's Monthly Communications are also available online.

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