Welcome New Academic Leaders
Dr. Didem Ozdemir Ozenen Named Associate Dean for Oral Health Education
Photo by Chris Woodrow
A respected clinician, educator, researcher and leader, Dr. Didem Ozdemir Ozenen joined the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry as associate dean for oral health education in August 2024.
She helps provide oversight of all educational programs, working with the leadership team to support the school’s curricula, faculty, students, residents, research projects and the Continuing Dental Education division. She is also deeply involved in faculty recruitment, development, appointment and promotion, and serves as chair of the Faculty Development Oversight Committee as well as other committees.
Ozenen earned her DDS degree and a PhD in pediatric dentistry from Istanbul University in Turkey, where she also served as a clinical instructor. She continued her education by earning a second PhD in medical education from Marmara University in Turkey. She served as a clinical research fellow at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. There, she made significant contributions to genetic research, discovering two novel gene mutations associated with Amelogenesis Imperfecta (AI) in pediatric dental patients.
Starting in 2005, Ozenen served as a full- time professor at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey, which recently became the first university in Europe to be accredited by the U.S. Commission on Dental Accreditation. She played a key role in obtaining this prestigious accreditation and held various leadership roles at the university, including associate dean for academic affairs and head of the Curriculum Management Committee. She was also the founder and director of Yeditepe University’s Non-Interventional Clinical Research Institutional Review Board.
In addition, Ozenen is a founding member of Turkey’s Association for Accreditation of Dental Education Programs, where she was elected as vice president for a third consecutive term. Her extensive contributions include many national and international publications, presentations, awards and the solo editorship of a nationally acclaimed pediatric dentistry textbook in Turkey.
Photo by Chris Woodrow
Dr. Rinku Saini Named Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry
Dr. Rinku Saini, who rejoined the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry as an assistant professor of pediatric dentistry in summer 2023, was named chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry on August 5, 2024.
He served as a full-time faculty member at the dental school at the beginning of his academic career, from 2009 to 2012. In addition to his involvement in the school’s didactic and clinical curriculum, he served as an adjunct associate clinical professor with University of California, San Francisco’s pediatric dentistry residency program from 2016 to 2023.
Saini earned a BS degree in biological sciences from University of California, Irvine and a MS in cell and molecular biology from University of Hawaii at Mānoa. He was awarded both his DDS and MPH in health policy and management from Columbia University in New York City. Subsequently, Saini completed a GPR at the UCLA/Sepulveda Veterans Administration in Los Angeles and his residency in pediatric dentistry at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Along with his continuing work in academia, Saini has enjoyed a robust private practice career with his practice partner Dr. Donald Schmitt ’99 at their offices in Danville and Concord, California. He is active in organized dentistry, making presentations and conducting grand rounds with local dental components, study clubs and hospitals as well as through the Dugoni School’s continuing dental education programs.
Dr. Natasha Lee ’00 Receives Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni Faculty Award
Photo by Jon Draper
Dr. Natasha Lee ’00, assistant professor of diagnostic sciences, course director of practice management and jurisprudence and former president of the California Dental Association (CDA) and the San Francisco Dental Society, received the 2024 Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni Faculty Award from the CDA Foundation.
The award was established in recognition of Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni’s remarkable accomplishments in dental education and organized dentistry. The award is presented to an individual recognized for their exceptional leadership, innovation, collaboration, compassion, philanthropic spirit and integrity in dental education. The honor was announced during the CDA House of Delegates meeting in November.
Students Take First-Ever Dentist-Scientist Oath
Photos by Chris Woodrow
Students in the DDS Class of 2026 and the IDS Class of 2025 expressed their commitment to the highest ideals of ethics and professionalism in research when they took the dentist-scientist oath during a ceremony on August 20, 2024.
The event was the first of its kind at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the first research-specific oath ceremony held at a dental school anywhere in the world, according to faculty organizers.
“The dentist-scientist oath was inspired by my mentor Dr. Karen Davis, world-renowned neuroscientist at University of Toronto, who developed an oath for scientists that emphasizes the importance of community, professionalism and ethical conduct in research,” said Dr. David Lam, associate dean for medical integration, chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dr. T. Galt and Lee DeHaven Atwood endowed professor. “We embraced Dr. Davis’ and colleagues’ original declarations of pride, integrity and knowledge pursuit, and further declared the importance of inclusion in research to produce knowledge that is applicable to all people.”
The students recently completed the Pacific-Stanford PRIMED Fundamentals of Clinical Research program held during the past year by the school in partnership with faculty from Stanford University. The mandatory, formalized training included 20 hours of instruction in best practices for conducting high-quality clinical research. The students were awarded certificates of completion from Stanford to recognize their participation in the training.
The training is being supported by a $3.8 million, five-year grant by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health to fund the Pacific-Stanford PRIMED program. PRIMED’s goals are to train the next generation of clinical oral health researchers to be equipped to translate research into practice and to grow the number of clinician-scientists in the workforce.
“The Dentist-Scientist Oath Ceremony was a profound reminder of the responsibility we carry as both clinicians and researchers,” said Tyler West, Class of 2026. “It reinforced the importance of conducting research with integrity and a commitment to advancing patient care. Participating in the research training at our school has been incredibly rewarding, as it provides the tools and opportunities to make a meaningful impact in the field of dentistry.”
“During my time here, I’ve seen that the Dugoni School doesn’t just put humanistic ideals on a placard, but instead strives to live up to those values in everything it does,” added Arick Christopher, Class of 2026. “I see the Dentist-Scientist Oath Ceremony as an extension of those ideals and a reminder of the importance of ethics and thoughtfulness in the research process.”
The Dugoni School of Dentistry has a history of traditions that convey a commitment to ethics and professionalism. In 1998, it was the first dental school in the country to host a White Coat Ceremony to mark students’ transition to patient care.
New Partnership with Stanford to Expand Access to Specialty Care
Patients at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the School of Health Science’s Hearing and Balance Center will have better access to specialty care for oral health and hearing conditions as part of a new partnership with Stanford Medicine.
There is a natural link between dentistry and conditions of the ear, nose and throat, but too often they are seen as unrelated with negative consequences for patients. The collaboration between Pacific and Stanford will bridge the gap by combining Pacific’s expertise in dentistry and audiology with Stanford Medicine’s advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities in oral cancers and ear conditions.
“This exciting partnership will build upon our longstanding history of collaboration and draw on Stanford’s and Pacific’s unique strengths to provide world-class comprehensive care for patients—through preventive care, diagnosis, treatment, functional rehabilitation and maintenance,” said Dr. David Lam, associate dean for medical integration, chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dr. T. Galt and Lee DeHaven Atwood endowed professor at the Dugoni School of Dentistry.
Two multidisciplinary clinics will be established on Pacific’s San Francisco campus as part of the collaboration. At the Head and Neck Cancer Outreach Clinic, dentists will evaluate, biopsy, image and diagnose pre-malignant and malignant oral lesions. Patients in need of further advanced surgical care will be treated by specialists at Stanford Medicine.
Patients will benefit from truly comprehensive care, including oral health optimization, functional rehabilitation and maintenance delivered by Pacific and Stanford experts working closely together throughout all phases of patient management.
“Because people usually have regular dental exams, disease can often be detected early, before it progresses into a highly aggressive cancer that may require the removal of part of the tongue or jawbone,” said Dr. Konstantina Stankovic, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford Medicine. “Removing an extra few millimeters of the tongue could be the difference between having understandable versus almost unintelligible speech. It’s a tremendous opportunity to detect and treat diseases early.”
The Otology Outreach Clinic will focus on hearing conditions. Audiologists from Pacific’s Hearing and Balance Center, also located on the San Francisco campus, will screen patients for hearing disorders.
Patients in need of advanced care will be referred to Stanford Medicine, where they can receive procedures such as cochlear implant surgery. “Offering audiological services through this partnership means early detection and top-tier care for hearing conditions,” said Dr. Gabriella Musacchia, associate professor and chair of the Department of Audiology at Pacific. “It’s a game changer for patient health and an incredible learning opportunity for our students.”