Carlos González-Cabezas appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs3 min read

Ann Arbor, Mich., May 22, 2020 – School of Dentistry faculty member Carlos González-Cabezas has been appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs after an extensive national search. The position is responsible for the leadership and oversight of all educational programs in the school, including curriculum development and management, educational quality assessment and improvement, and academic support for the faculty.

Dr. González-Cabezas is the Richard Christiansen Collegiate Professor of Oral and Craniofacial Global Initiatives, Director of Global Oral Health Initiatives, and Professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics.

The appointment was announced Friday by Dean Laurie McCauley, with the support of the school’s Executive Committee, after it was approved Thursday at the monthly meeting of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. The appointment is effective from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.

“Dr. González-Cabezas has had a significant and profound effect on the development of the cariology core curriculum that has been adopted in dental schools around the country and has inspired the teaching of cariology at schools internationally,” McCauley said. “His research focus is on the understanding of mechanisms underpinning dental caries progression and their clinical management, and he is recognized as a leader nationally and internationally in the fields of cariology and cariology education.”

In his new role, González-Cabezas will lead the administrative and professional staff within the Office of Academic Affairs and oversee academic progress and support, course and curriculum administration, curriculum assessment and educational research, clinical rotations, and standardized patient programs. He will lead the school’s accreditation self-study process and ensure that all of the school’s educational programs comply with accreditation standards. As a member of the school’s senior leadership team, he will facilitate an inclusive learning environment for a diverse student body and will work with associate deans from other schools and colleges to foster interprofessional and cross-disciplinary education and innovation.

Since 2015, Dr. González-Cabezas has served as the school’s Director of Global Initiatives in Oral and Craniofacial Health, expanding the program that gives students opportunities to work in several countries around the world.  He is a member of the U-M Council on Global Engagement, the U-M International Education Network, and the U-M Global REACH Faculty Affiliate Program.  He has served on the School of Dentistry’s Executive Committee and numerous other school-level committees. He was previously president of the Cariology Research Scientific Group of the International Association of Dental Research and is a member of the Council for Scientific Affairs of the American Dental Association.

McCauley thanked the school’s search committee, led by faculty member Dr. Lynn Johnson, as well as Diane Hoelscher, clinical assistant professor of dentistry, who served as the interim associate dean during the last year.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.