The primary mission of the Department of Oral Biology is to bridge the gap between the Basic Sciences and the clinical practice of Dentistry through excellence in research and in the education of dental scientists for academic and research positions of leadership. Recent advances in basic sciences, the human genome project, and the new recognition of multidisciplinary contributions to the understanding of oral health and disease processes and treatment, place the Department of Oral Biology in an excellent position to contribute to the national effort to establish the genomics and proteomics of oral and craniofacial health and disease, relate these findings to overall health, and translate these advances into improved dental care and oral health.
To address this mission the Oral Biology faculty participate in the discovery and teaching of current concepts and molecular findings in oral cell and tissue structure, function, and development, oral pathology and oral diseases with genomic and/or microbial etiologies. The department offers the PhD program for the School of Dentistry and is committed to the education of dentists as well as non-dentists, who seek advanced research training and careers in dental academia and research.
The University
The University of Washington is the largest and perhaps the most scenic campus on the west coast. Currently, there are in excess of thirty thousand students on campus. More than seven thousand of these are graduate students, drawn from all over the United States and many foreign countries. The Health Science complex is a contiguous part of the main campus. Most parts of the university can be reached in a ten minute walk. Within the Health Sciences are located the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Environmental Health, as well as many ancillary groups.
The Community
The region abounds with possibilities for outdoor recreation of almost all kinds. Many sites for skiing can be found within a one to two hour drive. Opportunities for hiking, sailing, mountaineering, etc., are unexcelled. In addition, the city of Seattle provides a wide spectrum of cultural offerings, including drama, symphony, opera, folk music, poetry readings and so on. Film festivals and retrospective film reviews are held in Seattle each year. A useful web site for the city of Seattle can be found here.
