Dr. Christine HongI am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Christine Hong as a full-time tenured Associate Professor and Graduate Orthodontics Program Director in the Division of Orthodontics following a national search. Dr. Hong will commence her new position with us on Aug. 1, 2019. Dr. Hong completed her dental education Cum Laude at Harvard University, following which she pursued advanced training in orthodontics and an MS in Oral Biology at UCLA. Immediately following the completion of her residency, she became a faculty member at UCLA, where she is currently an Associate Professor and Predoctoral Orthodontic Program Director in the Section of Orthodontics.
Dr. Hong has received several intramural and extramural grants, awards and distinctions. These include grants from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF), UCLA internal grants, Cleft Palate Foundation Award, and ADEA Academy of Academic Leadership award. Importantly, Dr. Hong is a PI on a K08 and an R03 grant from the NIH/NIDCR, and a co-PI on a multi-PI R01 grant from NIH. Besides maintaining an active research portfolio, Dr. Hong has demonstrated strong commitment to teaching. As the Program Director of Predoctoral Orthodontics at UCLA she serves as a Course Chair for six predoctoral courses offered.
Besides her formal teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hong has mentored a large number of dental student research projects and several MS theses. Dr. Hong is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and maintains a successful affiliation in a private orthodontic practice. Dr. Hong has lectured at multiple orthodontic meetings including the American Association of Orthodontists annual meeting on various clinical and research topics. Dr. Hong also serves as an editor for the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin.
In her role as Graduate Orthodontics Program Director, Dr. Hong will report to me and coordinate the academic and clinical education of the graduate orthodontic residents, teach in the clinic and classroom, and ensure that the program builds on its excellent reputation. As a faculty member, Dr. Hong will maintain an active research laboratory that includes overseeing orthodontic residents and dental student research projects. She will also participate in orthodontic faculty practice and serve on various committees.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Hong on her appointment as an Associate Professor and Graduate Orthodontics Program Director at UCSF and welcoming her to the UCSF Orthodontics Family.
Warm regards, Sunil
About Dr. Christine Hong
Dr. Hong has been actively engaged in orthodontic educational programs for dental students. Her commitment toward orthodontic education has been recognized by various teaching awards, including the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) Subtelny, Baker, Eastman Teaching Fellowship Award, the AAOF Willie and Earl Shepard Orthodontic Faculty Development Award (the highest award given by the AAOF to one junior faculty), and
the AAO Academy of Academic Leadership Award.
Dr. Hong is extensively involved in basic, translational and clinical research and has received numerous awards from the AAOF, Cleft Palate Foundation, and NIH. Her research programs are funded by grants including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01, R03, and K08 grants totaling nearly $3.6M, all as a principal investigator or co-PI. Dr. Hong’s research, supported by 14 grants and aided by expert guidance and collaboration from world-renowned
colleagues, has enabled her to contribute significantly to craniofacial and bone science. Professionally, Dr. Hong achieved Board Certification through the American Board of Orthodontics in 2012 and has been invited to give lectures at multiple orthodontic meetings including the American Association of Orthodontists annual meeting on “Emerging Applications of TADs,” introducing new strategies to increase efficiency of biomechanics, accelerate tooth
movement, and achieve palatal expansion. Dr. Hong also serves as an editor for the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists.
Among the many things that make her stand out amongst her peers are the number and quality of her publications, her active collaborations with researchers within and outside UCLA Dental School, and the high regard of her science as evident from her many invited presentations. Dr. Hong has received many intramural and extramural grants, awards and distinctions. These include four grants from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF), UCLA Faculty Research Grants, UCLA Faculty Career Development Award, UCLA School of Dentistry Seed Grant, Cleft Palate Foundation Award, and ADEA Academy of Academic Leadership award. Importantly, Dr. Hong has received a K08 and an R03 grant from the NIH/NIDCR of which she is the PI. More recently, she was awarded a multi-PI R01 grant from NIH demonstrating her independence as an investigator. All these accomplishments reflect Dr. Hong’s evolving national and international stature and validate her exceptional career path as well as her promising career trajectory as a scholar and academic leader.
Besides maintaining an active research portfolio, Dr. Hong has demonstrated strong commitment to teaching. Currently she is serving as the Program Director of Predoctoral Orthodontics in which she serves as a Course Chair for all six predoctoral courses offered at UCLA. Despite this high and demanding level of teaching responsibility that Dr. Hong has undertaken from an early stage of her career, she has managed to do it well while continuing to build her scholarship towards an independent research career. Besides her formal teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hong has mentored a large number of dental student research projects and several MS theses with substantial success.
Dr. Hong is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and maintains a successful affiliation in a private orthodontic practice, where she practices one day a week. Dr. Hong has also made several contributions in the service arena at the campus, school and department levels, and has been a successful in building alumni relations and raising funds. At the campuswide level, Dr. Hong is currently serving in the elected position of Member-at-Large on UCLA’s Academic Senate Committee on Committees.
