The University at Buffalo (UB) invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of dean of the School of Dental Medicine (SDM). A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a flagship and the largest and most comprehensive public research university in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, UB is an internationally renowned center for academic excellence. Ranked among the top 10 dental schools in the world in the prestigious Shanghai rankings, UB’s SDM is renowned for the quality of its DDS, graduate and postgraduate programs and its long history of innovation and leadership in research. The SDM Squire Hall clinic is among largest providers of dental services in the region with over 10,000 active patients, and it is the only provider in the region that offers the full range of dental specialties.
The SDM dean is a member of the university’s senior leadership team, working with the president, provost, vice president for health sciences, deans and other senior leaders to advance the university’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and engagement. As the academic and administrative leader of the school, the dean reports to both the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for health sciences in the areas of interprofessional education, health sciences collaborative research, and clinical programs. The dean is responsible for providing overall leadership to the school to promote academic excellence, foster an inclusive environment, and advance its prominence in research, educational, clinical and engagement activities.
UB seeks an accomplished professional, educator, researcher and leader with a strong commitment to advancing dental education in the 21st century. The ideal candidate will be an individual of integrity, an intellectual driver, an advocate for the school and the university, a facilitator of interdisciplinary work within the school and across the university, an energetic and engaged partner in building and enhancing relationships with the school’s many constituents and larger community, and a skilled administrator.
The dean should have substantial experience in a distinguished academic or comparable setting and the capacity to formulate and articulate a vision and academic plan for the school. The dean will be a distinguished academic in a dental field and will have a strong record of significant scholarly and/or clinical accomplishments, excellence in teaching and mentorship, and a service record appropriate to the rank of full professor at a research university.
In addition, candidates should demonstrate significant capacity for and a clear vision for progress in the following areas:
Applications and nominations should be submitted as indicated at the end of this profile.
Opportunities and Challenges
The successful dean will have a deep understanding of trends and issues in dental medicine, and the professional experience to address opportunities and challenges that are central to the school’s future success:
Recruit and retain outstanding faculty and foster their success in research, innovation, education, and clinical care
The SDM is both highly research active, with a nationally and internationally recognized faculty engaged in federally funded research, and it is one of the region’s largest and most comprehensive dental care providers. The dean must have the knowledge and ability to both advance the research and educational mission and also ensure the continued and expanded success of the clinical operations.
The dean is responsible for the recruitment, appointment, promotion and tenure of an outstanding, diverse and productive faculty in the school. The dean will seek creative ways to maximize school, university and SUNY resources to recruit and retain faculty and support faculty activities and development. The dean should have a clear vision for fostering faculty recruitment and retention related to opportunities for clinical faculty practice. The dean will invest in promising new faculty, increase the presence of accomplished senior faculty, and provide incentives and encouragement to retain the distinguished scholars who are already within the school. As an academic and administrative leader, the dean must provide visionary, collaborative, and inspiring leadership in the ongoing support and development of all faculty members in their roles of teaching, research, clinical care and service.
SDM is internationally renowned for its research accomplishments and its excellent educational and clinical programs. It is among the highest ranked programs at the university and a leading school in UB’s Top 25 aspiration. The dean will continue to advance the SDM’s reputation and strength in alignment with UB’s institutional goals. This includes promoting and facilitating increased levels of extramural research funding that will extend the portfolio and impact of faculty discoveries. In addition, the dean will enhance the impact of scholarship by encouraging faculty to seek prestigious grants, fellowships, awards and honors, and developing strategies to support and increase this kind of recognition. The dean will actively pursue new internal and external partnerships in support of SDM research, and work with the faculty to identify additional opportunities in the areas of technology transfer and commercialization. At the same time, the dean will continue to develop and improve research infrastructure and strategically invest relevant resources to promote research.
Develop innovative enrollment strategies and academic and academic support programs aligned with school strengths and students’ and society’s needs
The dean provides leadership to the school’s varied educational programs, maintaining the high caliber of those programs while exploring opportunities for curricular change and innovation. The dean will value the school’s teaching mission, and work with faculty to develop processes to continually evaluate academic support programs to ensure these programs instill students with the knowledge, skills and professionalism necessary to be tomorrow’s dentists, researchers, teachers and leaders. The dean will ensure that SDM offers academic support programs that enhance student retention and success while at UB and beyond. The dean will lead initiatives to develop new, innovative and distinctive academic programs, as appropriate. This includes increasing experiential learning, clinical opportunities, interprofessional education, and international experience opportunities; developing interdisciplinary programs with other units on campus; and launching innovative programs that may expand beyond existing academic structures.
With strong interest in SDM programs, the school has an opportunity to enhance the quality and diversity of the student body through program innovation and excellence. While demand for dental programs at UB and nationwide is currently robust, the field is not immune to future enrollment challenges. The dean will have a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing dental schools around the nation. The ideal candidate must be creative, flexible, innovative, and willing to meet these challenges with new ideas and optimism. This includes finding ways to increase and leverage resources in order to consistently optimize enrollment, growing in high demand areas, and working with faculty to develop programs and experiences that represent unique and distinctive areas of excellence at SDM.
Foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive community
The new dean must have a vision for, as well as a record of success in, recruiting, supporting, mentoring and retaining faculty, staff and students from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives and ensuring the sustainability of these efforts. Diversity, inclusion, and respect are core values of the UB and SDM communities. The SDM is committed to providing an environment that supports all individuals and that values diversity, inclusion and equity. UB recognizes that a diverse, equitable and inclusive community is an essential foundation for achieving academic excellence and success. One of the university’s top priorities is to improve the hiring and retention of faculty members from diverse sociocultural backgrounds and our goal is to at least double the number of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds at UB by 2025.
Encourage and support interdisciplinary relationships across departments and schools
While the dean’s central responsibility is the success of the School of Dental Medicine, the dean is also a leader in the university and Western New York (WNY) communities. UB is committed to using its strengths and comprehensiveness to address the world’s grand challenges through transdisciplinary research and education. SDM faculty members are integral partners and leaders in a variety of innovative campus-wide and multi-school research, education, and engagement initiatives. We seek a dean who will continue to support UB’s interdisciplinary research and educational programs, promote faculty participation in them, and develop new opportunities for future partnerships.
Maintain and enhance the school’s external partnerships and engagement with local, national and global communities
The dean represents the SDM to internal and external constituents, as well as national and international groups to promote and create support for educational, research and clinical programs. The dean will maintain and develop relationships with state and local government agencies, corporations and foundations. The dean will also maintain strong ties with the regional healthcare community in WNY. The dean will be an engaged community member, enhancing the school’s existing relationships, while developing new relationships and collaborations to develop and expand programs with local and state government health agencies. In addition, the dean will encourage and support research, educational programs, clinical programs, and engagement activities that make a difference beyond the campus.
Advance alumni relations and philanthropic support
Now more than ever, universities must engage alumni and friends as strategic partners. SDM’s more than 5,600 alumni are one of the school’s greatest resources in clinical care, recruitment, community relations, research, mentorship, and philanthropy. In cooperation with the university development and alumni groups, the dean will champion alumni engagement for SDM. As part of the Boldly Buffalo campaign and beyond, the dean will be an energetic, enthusiastic and convincing advocate with alumni and other donors to explore mutual interests, needs and opportunities, and thus broaden and deepen the school’s fundraising efforts.
Established in 1892 and one of only two public dental schools in New York State, the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine plays a critical role in advancing oral health in Buffalo-Niagara and around the world. The SDM educates general practitioners, specialists and biomedical scientists in the art and science of oral health through comprehensive accredited programs. Recognized among the top dental schools in the world, the 2021 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, one of the most prestigious global rankings in higher education, places UB’s SDM at No. 8 in the nation and No. 9 worldwide.
The mission of the school is to lead innovation in oral health, education, research, and service to improve quality of life, and its vision is to define excellence in global health through its core values of innovation, compassion and integrity. The SDM’s current strategic priorities include improving clinical operations and the student clinical experience, improving the visibility of the school, enhancing the curriculum, enhancing diversity and inclusion, and increasing faculty research productivity.
SDM is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and culturally competent environment where everyone is valued, supported and respected and where individuals with varying health conditions and abilities can receive excellent care. This commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion spans across the school and is central to the evaluation of programs and policies—from recruiting and retaining students, faculty and staff, to monitoring and developing curriculum, to launching programs and events that ensure a safe, inclusive environment.
SDM has more than 160 faculty members and over 170 full-time staff, who are dedicated to advancing the school’s reputation and impact. The SDM’s current enrollment is over 500 students.
The SDM offers a variety of graduate programs through its seven academic departments: oral biology, oral diagnostic sciences, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric and community dentistry, periodontics and endodontics, and restorative dentistry. Continuing Dental Education programs are provided to the school’s over 5,700 alumni and others. The SDM’s dental programs are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), most recently in February 2018.
Every year, the SDM sees more than 140,000 visits by patients seeking comprehensive, emergency or specialty oral health care. Patients can access care through the school’s general and specialty clinics (located both in Squire and Foster Halls on UB’s south campus and the Erie County Health Mall), at faculty practice plans, partner hospital locations, and the mobile dental van in Chautauqua and Allegheny counties. The SDM is the largest dental Medicaid provider in the WNY region.
The SDM occupies facilities on UB’s picturesque South Campus. A WNY landmark that dates back to the 1920s, the South Campus is located in a residential neighborhood in the City of Buffalo and is home to classic ivy-covered buildings as well as cutting-edge research and teaching facilities. In recent years, the SDM has been undergoing extensive modernization and renovation of its dental clinics in Squire Hall, WNY’s largest oral health care center. The $25 million renovation includes a state-of-the-art preclinical simulation laboratory with 110 individual student work stations and expanded digital dental technology, dental clinic renovations, new operatories, the Joseph and Stephanie Mucha Patient Welcome Center, student lounge and Alan J. Gross Learning Center, and conference room updates. In addition, the SDM features upgraded lab and research facilities in the Biomedical Research Building, including state-of-the-art imaging, analysis and instrumentation through the Materials Analysis Core, Materials Testing Facility, and the Optical Imaging and Analysis Facility.
UB is a member of the Association of Academic Health Centers, an elite group of national health professional schools focused on issues concerning health science education. The SDM is part of the university’s Academic Health Center (AHC), which also includes the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, and School of Social Work. One of the most comprehensive academic health centers in the nation, UB’s AHC brings together the talents of clinicians, educators and researchers to provide a superb research and educational environment to foster basic discovery in the biosciences, health-sciences translational research, preventive and interventional clinical trials, superb clinical care, and training of the next generation of health care practitioners. The comprehensive character of the AHC and the broader university represents a major intellectual, clinical and physical advantage to the SDM. It increases available resources for all faculty and students and facilitates research collaborations and innovative interprofessional education.
The School of Dental Medicine also participates in UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), which accelerates the delivery of basic scientific discoveries from the laboratory to clinical trials, and from clinical trials into general practice. Supported by the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program, UB’s CTSI participates actively in a national network of more than 50 leading medical schools and academic health centers that are committed to performing research with a primary goal to improve health. The CTSI is also the hub for the Buffalo Translational Consortium, which includes leading academic, health care and research institutions in the region, along with key community partners.
SDM employs 167 faculty members, including 70 full-time faculty (42 tenured/tenure track) and 97 part-time faculty.
In the past five years, SDM faculty have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Inventors, American College of Surgeons, American College of Dentists, and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR). In addition, they have received numerous awards and honors that recognize the strength and impact of their scholarship, teaching, clinical care, and service. Among many other national and international awards, in the last five years, SDM faculty have received the American Academy of Implant Dentistry Isiah Lew Memorial Research Award, American Academy of Forensic Sciences Reidar F. Sognnaes Award of Excellence in Forensic Odontology, Distinguished Scientist Awards in Research in oral biology and in salivary research from the International Association for Dental Research, American Dental Education Association Olav Alvares Award for Early Career Scholars, American Academy of Periodontology H. Dalton Conner Humanitarian Award, AADR Irwin D. Mandel Distinguished Mentoring Award, and the AADR Presidential Citation.
The SDM faculty currently includes a professor who has been promoted to the SUNY Distinguished Ranks (the highest academic rank in the State University of New York system), three endowed chairs and two SUNY Empire Innovation Professors. For more examples of the SDM faculty’s myriad accomplishments and recognitions, see the school’s news webpage.
As one of the leading dental schools in the United States with respect to grant and contract awards for research, the SDM is recognized both nationally and internationally for life-changing dental research. SDM faculty help solve some of the most complex problems in oral health—from basic cellular and molecular aspects of oral diseases, to understanding epidemiological factors of oral-systemic interrelationships. The scope of the school’s applied and clinical research includes in vitro and in vivo testing of novel tissue engineering scaffolds, as well as new dental products including dentifrices, mouth rinses, and new commercial product evaluations. The school’s research also includes translational science to advance oral health research into clinical practice. In 2021-22, SDM faculty generated $6.2 million in total research expenditures.
The University at Buffalo’s long-range strategic vision to be recognized among the Top 25 public research universities in the nation is focused on continually pursuing academic and research excellence, and expanding the university’s engagement and impact locally, nationally and globally. A key UB effort has been to promote and support collaborative, cross-disciplinary research dedicated to addressing the most critical issues, ideas and challenges of our time. SDM faculty members are integral leaders, partners and participants in a variety of innovative campus-wide and multi-school initiatives, including:
In addition, SDM hosts research centers and facilities that offer specialized research opportunities for those who are dedicated to oral health research:
UB’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development and its constituent units and programs guide and support faculty research, technology transfer and entrepreneurial activities.
SDM students are among the very best in dental education. The school takes great pride in their academic achievements, community contributions, and readiness to be leaders in their fields upon graduation. Admission in the International Dentist and International Scholar programs is particularly competitive, as SDM is well known in the international community as being one of the top dental schools. The SDM is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, particularly students who have been historically underrepresented in the dental profession. Through Destination Dental School, and the Native American Pre-Dental Student Gateway Program, SDM endeavors to remove barriers to careers in dentistry for students of color by providing participants with simulation activities and research projects, mentorship and networking opportunities, and dental school application assistance.
SDM’s current enrollment is over 500 students (430 DDS, 20 doctoral, 19 masters and 44 graduate certificates). Women comprise 56% of SDM students, 10% are students from underrepresented minority backgrounds, and 15% are from international backgrounds. The SDM is dedicated to providing the support needed for students to succeed, and its retention rate is 99%. In 2022, SDM conferred 94 DDS degrees, 5 PhDs, 16 MS degrees, and 29 graduate certificates.
The SDM is dedicated to preparing students for the healthcare profession of the future and encouraging curiosity, compassion, and a thirst for knowledge. The school offers 14 academic programs. These include the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS); a dual DDS/MBA degree; PhD in oral biology; MS in biomaterials; MS in Oral Sciences; MS and certificate in orthodontics; MD and certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery; certificates in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and TMD and orofacial pain; and advanced education in general dentistry programs. The SDM also offers a variety of high-quality continuing education programs for dental professionals and several micro-credentials.
As a nationally recognized center for dental research, the SDM maintains a rich research environment for students, training the next generation of community clinicians and oral health scientists who are prepared to understand, evaluate and use new diagnostic, preventive and treatment technologies to improve health and quality of life. The SDM provides students in the pioneering oral biology PhD program – the first in the US – novel interdisciplinary research opportunities in collaboration with other health sciences schools, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. In addition, DDS and advanced education students have the opportunity to work with faculty on research during the academic year and summer.
SDM DDS students begin patient care earlier than at most schools, with careful support and supervision. Clinical training begins in the first year and continues throughout the program. SDM’s state-of-the-art preclinical simulation laboratory, constructed in 2019, allows students to hone their clinical skills and ease the transition to the school’s patient clinics. In addition to the SDM simulation facilities, dental students participate with students from all five health sciences disciplines to learn as members of a team in UB’s cutting-edge Behling Human Simulation Center.
The SDM promotes interprofessional education and practice, research and patient care, resulting in well-rounded graduates who take an entirely new approach to improving people's lives and creating new knowledge. SDM students participate in UB’s nationally recognized interprofessional education program, through which dental students train with other students in professional health sciences programs, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health and health professions, as well as students in social work, law and management.
In addition, the SDM promotes interprofessional education, research and practice through numerous interdisciplinary and institutional collaborations. Examples of this direction and progress include working with the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to put pharmacists and residents on the SDM clinic floor; providing blood pressure, diabetic, HIV screening, and smoking cessation programs by dental students; introducing an MBA/DDS dual degree program; creating an internationally recognized dental forensics program; partnering with the School of Nursing to provide healthcare to underserved populations; working with the School of Social Work on SDM’s first of its kind CARES (Counseling, Advocacy, Referral, Education and Service) social services program for dental patients; and collaborating with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health and Health Professions, and the School of Dental Medicine to develop innovative engineering technologies for regenerative medicine and to educate the future leaders in this field.
SDM students, faculty, staff and alumni use their talent and expertise to promote oral health awareness, and improve access to dental care throughout local and global communities through nearly 1,000 community outreach events each year. These range from making mouthguards for athletes to screening children for cavities to working with a local shelter for domestic violence victims. The SDM actively engages partners at the campus, local, national, and international levels to improve education and patient care in the region, create research and innovation opportunities, and offer international education and research experiences to SDM students and faculty. This includes SDM’s bi-annual, international Miles for Smiles program, which provides supplies and oral healthcare to refugees and people displaced by the ongoing war in Syria.
Community outreach helps dental students learn how to work with diverse populations, while reinforcing the importance of giving back. SDM students receive specific training in outreach, have the opportunity to participate in a variety of engagement activities, and work with a diverse population, including children, adolescents, seniors, immigrants, refugees, those from rural communities, and those with unmet needs.
The SDM holds various activities throughout the year that engage the WNY community including the annual Give Kids a Smile Day, which provides hundreds of children with free oral health care each year, Dentistry Smiles on Veterans Day, which provides free dental services to veterans, and Smile Education Day, which teaches thousands of children about oral hygiene each year in area schools. Through the student-led Buffalo Outreach and Community Assistance Program (BOCA) and Remote Area Medical (RAM), SDM promotes dental education, providing free dental care and improving the quality of life for people around the world. And through the S-Miles to Go mobile dental clinics, SDM services more than 3,500 patients each year in rural areas, including special needs patients.
Impactful research, scholarly distinction, transformative student experiences, and far-reaching service to local, state, national, and international communities define UB’s mission as one of the nation’s leading public research universities. UB was founded in 1846 as a private medical college located in downtown Buffalo and joined the SUNY network in 1962. SUNY is the largest state university system in the United States, and UB is a flagship campus and the largest and most comprehensive public research university within the system. In 1989, UB was among the first public universities in the Northeast to be admitted into the AAU. Over the years, UB’s scope and mission have expanded significantly as it has grown into a world-renowned research university that is the thriving heart of the regional community, a national leader in public higher education, and a global hub for excellence in research and education.
UB enrolls more than 32,000 students (approximately two-thirds undergraduate and one-third graduate and professional students), and offers more than 500 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional, and doctoral levels across its 12 decanal units. UB is a global community of scholars, ranking among the nation’s top 30 universities for the enrollment of international students in the Open Doors census for nearly two decades. International students currently represent 18% of total enrollment at UB. The university enjoys a strong presence abroad, maintaining affiliation agreements with 100 universities in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. UB’s more than 280,000 alumni live in 150 countries worldwide.
UB has a distinguished faculty of over 1,500 full-time and 970 part‑time members. UB is home to more than 100 research centers and institutes; its current annual research expenditures, including those in affiliated institutions, exceed $425 million. The University Libraries hold more than four million volumes and provide access to an exceptionally wide array of digital information resources.
UB’s academic programs and facilities are located on three distinct campuses in the Buffalo metropolitan area. UB’s North Campus, located in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, is the university’s main undergraduate campus and home to the university’s primary athletics and cultural facilities. Three miles to the south, on the northern edge of the City of Buffalo, is the university’s historic South Campus, home to many of the university’s professional schools including the School of Dental Medicine. The focal point of UB’s third, downtown campus center is the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, on which UB’s state-of-the-art Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is located in proximity to the university’s health and life science partners.
Recognizing the key role that a vibrant 21st-century physical campus environment plays in enhancing education, research, and learning, UB is realizing a long-range Master Plan for enhancing its North, South, and Downtown campus spaces and connecting them more effectively to their surrounding communities.
With an annual operating revenue of $810 million, UB and its affiliated entities generate an estimated economic impact of $2.1 billion annually in New York State. The university’s total workforce of over 7,400 full-time equivalent employees makes it one of the region’s largest employers. UB is also a leader and an active partner with the more than 20 public and private colleges and universities in the Buffalo-Niagara region.
Internationally recognized as an accomplished researcher and transformative higher education leader, Satish K. Tripathi was appointed the 15th president of the University at Buffalo on April 18, 2011.
The first international-born president in UB’s history, Dr. Tripathi served as UB’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs from 2004-2011, was one of the principal creators of UB’s long-range strategic plan, which led the university to achieve significant growth in research and scholarly activity, improved the caliber and diversity of students, transformed the university’s living-learning environment and greatly expanded its international presence. Building on these impactful achievements, today Dr. Tripathi is focused on positioning UB among the top 25 public research universities in the nation. UB’s Top 25 Ambition is dedicated to achieving greater societal impact by enhancing the university’s scholarly productivity and growing its research portfolio; providing students with innovative, research-grounded educational experiences; building upon UB’s university-wide culture of equity and inclusion; and deepening the university’s engagement in the region by strengthening partnerships, with the goal of contributing to positive health outcomes and economic vitality.
Prior to coming to UB, Dr. Tripathi served as dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California-Riverside, where he led that school’s rise from an unranked program to a position in the upper half of the U.S. News and World Report Best Engineering Graduate School rankings. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19-year tenure as a faculty member included serving as chair from 1988-1995. Dr. Tripathi graduated at the top of his class from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in India and holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Toronto along with three master's degrees—one in computer science from the University of Toronto and two in statistics from the University of Alberta and BHU. A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he holds honorary degrees from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, and Brock University in Ontario, Canada. In 2009, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by Banaras Hindu University.
An active leader in the national higher education community, Dr. Tripathi serves on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers and Internet2 Board of Trustees and has served on the board of directors for the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Additionally, he has served as chair of the Mid American Conference Council of Presidents as well as on the board of the NCAA Division I and NCAA Board of Governors. Among his numerous community leadership roles, Dr. Tripathi serves on the boards of directors of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Great Lakes Health System of WNY. In 2011, Dr. Tripathi was appointed the inaugural co-chair of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, a position he held until 2017.
As Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, A. Scott Weber serves as the university’s chief academic officer, responsible for leading the development and implementation of the university’s academic vision. Dr. Weber provides leadership across the academic enterprise including research, scholarship and creative activities; undergraduate, graduate, professional and international education; faculty development; diversity and inclusion initiatives; and university libraries.
A member of UB’s faculty since 1983, Dr. Weber is an innovative scholar and teacher and former chair of UB’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, where he helped establish UB’s transportation engineering program and oversaw the department’s significant rise in national rankings among U.S civil engineering programs.
Dr. Weber has held progressively responsible administrative roles at UB, including senior vice provost for academic affairs, where he provided leadership for graduate and undergraduate education, centralized enrollment services, student-support services and transformative extracurricular programs. He led efforts to ensure that students have an outstanding educational experience with opportunities to engage in truly distinctive research, creative and public service activities that are hallmarks of a top-tier university education. He was instrumental in the creation of the UB Curriculum and the nationally recognized Finish in 4 program. In addition, Dr. Weber served as vice president for student life, where he focused on providing UB’s students with exceptional programs and services that offer opportunities to build communities, encourage discovery, promote wellness, and allow students to grow and prosper.
Dr. Weber’s research focuses on biodegradation of chemicals in water and soil and the reclamation of environmentally impacted sites known as brownfields. He earned bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and a PhD in civil engineering from the University of California, Davis.
Allison Brashear, MD, is the vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. As dean, she oversees more than 913 faculty and staff, 2,079 students, 845 trainees in graduate medical education, and 27 departments and 25 centers within the Jacobs School. As vice president for health sciences, she has administrative responsibility for the other four schools within UB’s Academic Health Center: dental medicine, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and public health and health professions.
Dr. Brashear is an internationally known neurologist and researcher in movement disorders. She is an expert in ATP1A3-related diseases with continuous National Institutes of Health (2008) funding as the PI of “Clinical Genetic and Cellular Consequences of Mutations in ATP1A3” and she was principal investigator on 40 clinical trials in cervical dystonia and spasticity, leading to 3 FDA-approved medications. Before joining UB, Dr. Brashear was dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine (2019-2021) and for 14 years was the chair of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine (2005-2019).
She earned her medical degree (1987) and completed her neurology residency at Indiana University School of Medicine (1991), and MBA at Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (2012). She completed the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans fellowship (2014), ELAM (2007).
Dr. Brashear is a trustee to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation and is a director on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the organization responsible for board accreditation for psychiatrists and neurologists. While at UC Davis, she served on the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee. Additionally, she has served on the boards of the American Neurological Association and the American Academy of Neurology, where she was instrumental in crafting a leadership program for women.
The State University of New York is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive state university system, consisting of 64 campuses including major research universities, health science centers, comprehensive and technical colleges, and community colleges, all committed to providing a broad range of outstanding academic programs for students within New York and from around the world. It enrolls more than 394,000 students annually, employs more than 67,000 faculty and staff, and connects more than three million alumni around the world.
UB acknowledges that our campuses operate on land that is the traditional territory of the Seneca Nation, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the region remains the home of the Haudenosaunee people. Further, we responsibly acknowledge the continuing impact of settler colonialism on the Haudenosaunee and their territories.
Our scholarly community values Indigenous cultures, histories, traditions, knowledge systems, and political entities and deeply appreciates the important role of Indigenous people in the history, the present and the future of our region, this country and the world.
As a world-renowned research university, UB’s intellectual capital and innovation are playing a vital role in Buffalo’s resurgence as a thriving city that is a magnet for talented professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators who recognize the tremendous energy and momentum gathering here. Home to one of the nation’s fastest growing populations of college graduates, the Buffalo-Niagara region, with 1.2 million residents, is the state’s second largest major metropolitan area, exceeded only by New York City. The region includes a diverse blend of communities, each with its own distinct personality, yet commonly characterized by a distinctly neighborly way of life, an unpretentious nature and spirited loyalty among residents. Buffalo’s own strong sense of community, easy lifestyle, and affordability regularly place it in top ten lists from a variety of national publications for its overall quality of life.
Buffalo offers an impressive array of cultural and recreational opportunities uncommon for a region of its size. Buffalo’s rich cultural resources reflect its distinguished history and commitment to sustaining the arts, including the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; the world-class collection of modern painting and sculpture at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery; an extensive array of historic architectural treasures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, H.H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Eero and Eliel Saarinen; an expansive park system (including Delaware Park), considered to be the very best work of designer Frederick Law Olmsted; and a variety of summer festivals. The city is home to the state’s largest concentration of theaters outside of New York City. From the Michigan Street Baptist Church, to the Underground Railroad, to jazz history at the Colored Musicians Club and Museum, Buffalo has a rich African-American heritage to explore. Buffalo is a family friendly, livable and affordable city, with Niagara Falls, one of the major tourist attractions of the world, a short drive away. Buffalo is close to two significant wine growing regions—Niagara Escarpment and the Finger Lakes region—and it was named one of the Top 10 Food Cities by National Geographic. In addition, the Adirondack Mountains are half-day’s drive from Buffalo.
Rich in natural resources and beauty, the Buffalo-Niagara area is a four-season region that offers the best for seasonal sports enthusiasts. University at Buffalo fans enjoy a full complement of NCAA division I sports with the UB Bulls, as well as the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, Triple-A baseball’s Buffalo Bisons, and the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits.
Less than a two-hour drive from Buffalo across the United States-Canada border is Toronto, the cultural, entertainment, and financial capital of Canada. Buffalo is also ideally located for easy access to many of America’s greatest cities. The Buffalo-Niagara International Airport offers direct flights to more than 20 cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington, DC, all only an hour’s flight away.
UB has played a central role in the creation of a strong, sustainable knowledge economy and thriving entrepreneurial culture that are driving Buffalo’s revitalization. Exemplified and driven by the centrally located Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo is experiencing a period of tremendous progress and momentum as well as unprecedented regional investments in the industries of the future and in the assets that ensure a satisfying quality of life for all its citizens.
UB and the School of Dental Medicine are vital and enthusiastic participants in Buffalo’s economic resurgence, healthcare and education communities, and the dean will be a visible representative of the school and university. Within the local business community, UB has well-established ties with major partners and is also making a mark in the areas of health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy. The dean will encourage and support faculty, student, and staff research, education, and engagement activities that make an impact in Buffalo and around the world.
Additional information about UB School of Dental Medicine can be found at https://dental.buffalo.edu or at the search website: https://www.buffalo.edu/leadership-searches/current-searches/school-of-dental-medicine-dean-2022.html
Interested individuals should provide an electronic version of their curriculum vitae (Microsoft Word or PDF strongly preferred). A letter describing interest in, and qualifications for, the position is recommended, but not required. All inquiries, nominations and applications should be sent electronically via Isaacson, Miller’s nomination page.
To ensure full consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible but no later than November 29, 2022. Review of nominations and applications for the position will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. To assure sensitivity toward the positions presently held by nominees and applicants, the search will be conducted in strict confidence until finalists participate in campus visits. References will not be contacted without the prior knowledge and approval of the candidates.
Compensation for this position is highly competitive. It is anticipated that the dean will begin service by early next semester. Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until a dean of the School of Dental Medicine is appointed.
The University at Buffalo is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic university community committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. Potential applicants who share this goal, including veterans and individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.
