Dean John D.B. Featherstone's November 2016 column
Research — always an essential part of our work in the School of Dentistry — has been a hot topic of late.
In October, our associate dean for research in the School of Dentistry, Thomas Lang, PhD, was appointed to the newly established Presidential Chair in Dental Research. I am thrilled to have this endowed Presidential Chair, made possible through a private, anonymous donation and the Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs program through the UC Office of the President.
This endowment affords us much needed financial stability for the office of the associate dean for research and the student research fellowship program. Ours is the biggest research enterprise of all dental schools in the country. Our investigators continue to receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants — more than any other dental school in the nation, and we stand proudly with the schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, also No. 1 in NIH funding — yet we are mindful that we are in one of the toughest ever funding environments.
Some of our summer research fellows will benefit directly from the funding for the Presidential Chair. When our summer research program was started some 35 years ago, we received NIH funding support for it. That support has been discontinued, but we’ve found funding sources to fill in.
One of the people who was instrumental in transforming the School of Dentistry into a leader in research is John C. Greene, DMD, MPH, dean emeritus of the school. I’m sad to report that Dean Greene passed away on Oct. 13, at age 90. During his tenure as dean (1981-95), Dr. Greene led the school’s change from a primarily clinical focus to the top research dental school in the nation.
Even in retirement, Dr. Greene continued to support research at UCSF. Until recently, Dr. Greene came each year to Research Day (now Research and Clinical Excellence Day). It has been noted that his passing coincided with the 2016 Research and Clinical Excellence Day.
And this event, held each October, demonstrates the connection between research and the clinic. So many discoveries, based on research, have changed the way dentistry is done. Clinical excellence and research go hand in hand.
Indeed, our school is very much a part of what the University of California is about: an in-depth academic infrastructure supporting critical thinking, how we teach and practice clinical activities, education — all based on our incredible strength in research, investigation, science.
Research is the underpinning of some of our interaction and integration with other activities on campus. One example is the Program in Craniofacial Biology, headed by Ophir Klein, MD, PhD; the program is involved with the School of Medicine and the UCSF Craniofacial Center [http://craniofacialcenter.ucsf.edu/]. Dr. Klein recently was awarded an $8 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (part of NIH) to support his research on the regenerative properties of craniofacial and dental stem cells.
Another example is a new program in head and neck cancer, co-directed by Andrei Goga, MD, PhD, that will involve investigators from the School of Medicine as well as the School of Dentistry. Dr. Goga also is immersed in breast cancer research.
These projects, as well as others such as the Center to Address Disparities in Children’s Oral Health (CAN DO), help illustrate how our research runs the gamut from basic biology to applied clinical activities.
I for one want to thank those who participate in research throughout the School of Dentistry: Their work helps make this an exciting, vibrant place to be part of, and to be proud of.