Wanida Ono, DDS, PhD, DMSc, is a board-certified orthodontist, NIH-funded scientist, and the Division Chief of Orthodontics at the University of California, San Francisco, effective September 1, 2025. The UCSF School of Dentistry’s long-standing reputation for excellence in clinical care, education, and research has deeply inspired her, and she is honored to serve a division that exemplifies such distinction.
Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Ono earned her DDS from Chulalongkorn University and served as a general dentist in the Royal Thai Navy before pursuing a PhD at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Medical and Dental University). She completed her postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, followed by a DMSc and orthodontic certificate from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Ono began her academic career at the University of Michigan, where she served as the Pediatric Orthodontic Program Director, and later joined UTHealth Houston, where she served as a full professor. Her NIH-supported research investigates the molecular and developmental mechanisms underlying tooth eruption and root formation, with the goal of developing pharmacological treatments for eruption disorders.
Dr. Ono has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, including papers in PNAS, Journal of Dental Research, and Nature Communications, and has received major honors from the AAO, ASBMR, AADR/IADR, and ADEA. She is deeply committed to mentoring future orthodontists and orthodontist-scientists and to advancing the next generation of leaders in orthodontic education and research.
