I am pleased to announce that the Chancellor has approved our proposed realignment for the School of Dentistry’s divisional structure, and that the new organization of departments will be in place as of January 1, 2005.

This departmental reorganization and consolidation will result in a basic sciences department, the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, and a clinical/translational sciences department, the Department of Orofacial Sciences. These two departments join the existing two departments of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. A search for the head of Orofacial Sciences is currently in progress.

Click here for a listing of all four School of Dentistry departments, divisions and their respective chairs.

Encouraging Hybridization and Integration
The purpose of this re-alignment is to help the School fulfill its mission by hybridizing to an even greater extent with the other health professions, in mutually important areas of endeavor, and to formalize and strengthen our clinical and translational research capacity. This realignment reaffirms the integral role the School of Dentistry plays, along with the other schools at UCSF, in implementing our mission of improving public health through excellence in education, research and service.

We will be updating the School of Dentistry website to reflect the new alignment. If you find components of the website that still reflect the former departmental structure, please email the School’s Communications Manager, Cameron Heffernan, describing the page(s) that needs to be changed.

Best regards,

Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc

Dean