It is, at long last, December: the final month in the most eventful year in most of our lifetimes. Many of us will not at all be sad to see 2020 fade into history. But even with all the grief and turmoil this year has wrought, we've had the opportunity to learn a lot.

Indeed, learning — and teaching — was one of the things hit earliest and hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person instruction in the School of Dentistry came to a screeching halt last spring. We, like educators across the country and around the globe, scrambled to figure out how to deliver high-quality teaching in the virtual environment. I salute our faculty, led by Associate Deans Sara Hughes and Sunita Mutha, for springing into action and creatively meeting this need head-on.

Indeed, every sector of the school and the University has had to stop and pivot in response to the pandemic. Research was put on hold until strategies for physical distancing could be put in place. For many weeks, dental care was limited to emergency care. It will be months yet before the majority of our research and clinical staff will return to campus.

But for every curveball 2020 has thrown our way, we have scratched out hits. We've made advances in teledentistry that will outlive the pandemic. Adjustments in our teaching are reaping benefits not just now, but will shape instruction in the future. Our researchers have forged collaborations within the UC system and beyond, including important work aimed at understanding and curbing COVID-19. Everything is moving faster and more urgently than it did before — and that's not a bad thing.

We moved with urgency to elevate our infection prevention measures, to physically protect patients and providers, trainees and learners alike. But at the same time, we also learned important lessons about what protects and sustains us in other ways. About the importance of connection, especially with so many of us physically isolated from colleagues, friends and family. The necessity of resilience, and how to help each other bear up. The simple pleasures of time spent outdoors, of creative work (or play), of reading smiles hidden behind masks by the crinkle of one's eyes.

Other truths we've learned this year also have not been easy ones to bear. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and too many others forced our nation, and our school, to face hard facts about race in America. Our students — especially our Black students — have been our vocal conscience, challenging us to recognize where we have failed and to take concrete steps to change. But much like our response to the pandemic, the steps we take are not just for now, but for our future.

Whatever that future may hold, the experiences of the past year have armed us with knowledge, support and perseverance. With that, I am optimistic about things on the immediate horizon. It is certain that 2020 will remain indelible in our memories for years to come.