Dean’s Message: Flourishing in the Fall

New traditions and partnerships are flourishing at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, and we are excited to share the latest updates with you.

We recently held the Dugoni School’s first- ever Dentist-Scientist Oath Ceremony, during which DDS and IDS students expressed their commitment to ethics and professionalism in research. This event and new oath are part of the Pacific-Stanford PRIMED Fundamentals of Clinical Research training program for all first- year students. In this issue, you’ll read about our partnership with Stanford Medicine which will increase access to specialty care for people with oral health and hearing conditions and bring collaborative opportunities in multidisciplinary education and research. You’ll see photos of the Pacific Health Care Collaborative, our new clinical and academic facility in Sacramento which opened in July. Thirty students in our expanded International Dental Studies program are now learning and providing care to the public at this facility in Sacramento.

Our feature articles include a spotlight on some alumni who have chosen to live and practice in rural areas of California, caring for people who would otherwise have to travel great distances to receive dental care. We also focus on oral health’s “ripple effect” with some of the latest examples of the relationship between oral health and systemic well- being. And we feature a look back—and forward—at the Kids in the Klinic Endowment and the many ways that underserved children and families have benefitted from the generosity of those who have supported this endowment since its creation in 1996.

Thank you for staying engaged with the Dugoni School of Dentistry family, whether through reading Contact Point, attending our alumni events or CDE courses, mentoring students, teaching or strengthening the school through philanthropy. We are always grateful for the support of our alumni and friends, and we look forward to building even more partnerships—and establishing more cherished traditions—going forward.

Nader A. Nadershahi ’94, DDS, MBA, EdD
Dean and Vice Provost