With spring in full swing, we have much to celebrate across the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry—on our campuses, throughout our alumni family and in the communities we are proud and privileged to serve.
This season has been filled with meaningful traditions and milestones, including our 127th Annual Alumni Meeting, community outreach efforts serving children and seniors and the continued excellence of our academic programs and clinical care. Other special events such as the Asilomar Retreat for reunion classes and the Class of 2026, Over the Hump Party for the Class of 2027, OKU-Sutro Excellence Day and our first-ever AI in Oral Health Care: From Innovation to Access Symposium have brought our community together in inspiring ways. Thank you to everyone who planned, participated in and supported these important activities.
In this issue, we highlight San Francisco’s momentum as it emerges from the challenges of the pandemic and how fortunate we are to be part of its fabric. We are also pleased to share news of the renovated area on the sixth floor of our San Francisco campus, creating additional academic spaces for students, faculty and staff in both the dental and audiology programs. You will also find thoughtful perspectives on clinical technologies—an increasingly important topic for individual practitioners and for us as an institution committed to innovation grounded in evidence and patient-centered care.
Serving as interim dean of the Dugoni School and helping to navigate our course through this important chapter has been my honor, and it has been rewarding in so many ways. We will continue to leverage our strong commitment to excellence for the benefit of students, residents, faculty, staff, alumni and patients as we reinforce and build upon our foundation, grounded in our commitment to one another and the values we hold close. I am grateful for this unique opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated and inspiring group of people—administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Dugoni School.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Contact Point and take pride and joy in the many ways our school and alumni continue to make a positive impact on those we have served locally and beyond for 130 years as a school and 175 years as a university.
Warm regards,
Elisa M. Chávez, DDS Interim Dean
Photo by Chris Woodrow