UCSF Dentistry's Distinguished Professor Emeritus Grayson W. Marshall has been awarded an honorary doctorate at Malmö University, Sweden, in the Faculty of Odontology.
Dr. Marshall was interviewed by Catarina Christiansson for Malmö University: "I was very pleasantly surprised by this great honor. I have sincerely enjoyed my visits and the friendships and professional interactions that I have developed with the members of the Faculty of Odontology at Malmö. They have also had significant and very positive influences on my career."
"My wife and I were recruited to the University of California by one of your PhD graduates, who did his thesis work under Professor Per-Olof Glantz, whom I first met while he was visiting Northwestern University in the late 1970’s. I was an Assistant Professor at that time and was working on amalgam degradation. After I moved to UCSF, I was invited to visit Malmö in 1993 and presented some of our work at that time, and made many new friends. I served on the Advisory Board in 2009 that reviewed mainly the research program at Malmö. I was most impressed with the new facilities, surface science center, the problem-based learning program that was really exceptional, and the spirit and dedication of the students."
"One of my long term interests has been the role of translational and clinical research in dental schools. I think Malmö is an ideal place that can continue and accelerate its global impact in these areas. It has great opportunities to build collaborations with the public health clinics and through its research program has the opportunity to harness the exciting and ever-expanding knowledge base brought about by the explosion in biomedical sciences and apply this new knowledge it to improve oral health and oral health research. It may have changed in recent times, but a potential problem seen by the Advisory Board was the high average age of the graduate students, and the tradition of giving new faculty members limited time to pursue the paths stemming from their research. In addition we all must constantly think about the ever-changing knowledge base, and how best to reinvent ourselves to make the most of the opportunities it presents."
On his life today, Dr. Marshall adds: "I recently retired and now hold the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UCSF. However, unlike Sweden, in the US I can be recalled, so I am now officially working 33% of the time. I recently received a 5 year NIH grant renewal that aims at restoring the structure and mechanical properties of dentin carious lesions. It is a very exciting time with new biomineralization concepts that have emerged, and I also work on bone regeneration and biomechanics of the periodontal complex. I will also continue to teach in dental and graduate courses. Combined with more travel, I hope to have an active
and productive retirement."
Pictured
Grayson W. Marshall with honorary doctorate (background)
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