Stepping into the role of interim dean for the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry is both a privilege and a responsibility that I have embraced wholeheartedly. How could I not? I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside many of you throughout my 25 years at the Dugoni School—colleagues, mentors and friends of this remarkable institution—and in recent months I’ve also had the opportunity to meet many more of the faculty, staff and alumni that make the Dugoni School special. As we move forward together, I am committed to sustaining our legacy of excellence in dental education, clinical care, research and community service while exploring new opportunities for growth and innovation.
This issue of Contact Point highlights a significant development that will take us into the future—the planning of the state-of-the-art Multidisciplinary Advanced Care Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Center. These facilities will be located on the first floor of our San Francisco campus and will be developed with support from an initial $5 million grant from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. Our goal is to expand access to compassionate, high-quality dental care for individuals with intellectual, developmental and/or acquired disabilities or complex medical needs, while also providing new opportunities in dental education on this campus.
We also pay tribute to Joanne Fox, who retired in August after 43 years of service to the school, most recently as director of our Alumni Association, and Dr. William Lundergan ’81, former chair of the Department of Periodontics, who retired after a 42-year career as an educator and administrator. Their passion, leadership and tireless work have shaped generations of students and alumni. They have inspired lifelong connections that have kept our Dugoni School family strong. We will continue to build upon the legacy they helped create.
Please enjoy the updates in this issue about school activities, community outreach and other events that have been taking place in recent months around our campus and beyond.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the Dugoni School of Dentistry as members of our dental school family. Together, we are building a future that honors our history while boldly embracing what lies ahead.
Warm regards,
Elisa M. Chávez, DDS Interim Dean
Photo by Chris Woodrow