The Dean's Message

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Friends,

Good news has been coming in from so many quarters this academic year and it is my pleasure as dean to share it with you in this newsletter.

Certainly we all should take great pride in the 2011 accreditation process which the school completed during the winter quarter. We received many commendations for excellence from the American Dental Association's Committee on Dental Accreditation site visitors.

Our UCLA ASDA chapter was recognized as the "National Ideal Chapter" and a passionate group of enterprising dental students just launched the inaugural Walk for Oral Cancer Awareness this past weekend.

Numerous faculty members have won new and continuing research grants. Furthermore, we have welcomed many new faculty and staff members, and created new staff positions.

The UCLA School of Dentistry continues to be a center for excellence despite difficult economic times. Yet, even as our school is enjoying tremendous successes, we of course send our best wishes to Japan--in particular to our friends at the dental schools at Asahi and Meikai Universities with whom we have a longstanding relationship of student and faculty exchange. Their country's current challenges in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster remind us that we are all connected and that our commitment to health, education and research is by necessity a global one. Thank you all for your hard work in support of our mission right here at UCLA.

No-Hee Park, DMD, PhD
Dean