Fall 2005 - UNC School of Dentistry - The University of North ...

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F ROM THE O FFICE OF THE D EAN■■■■Q & A with John WilliamsWe sat down recently withDean John Williams to seehow he’s settling into his newrole and to the Chapel Hillcommunity. We thankhim for taking thetime to speak with us.Q: Share a little bit aboutyour background.I was born in East Tennessee,grew up primarily in theMidwest, and spent a fair amountof time in Kentucky. I came toLexington, Kentucky to attendTransylvania University and graduatedin 1974. I graduated fromdental school at the University ofLouisville in 1980, was in privatepractice for six years, andinvolved in public health dentistry.I had an opportunity to dosome part-time teaching at theUniversity of Louisville and afull-time position opened up. Ijoined the faculty in 1986.Q: What brought you to theprofession of dentistry?I was interested in a healthprofession, and I was interestedin the surgical aspects of dentistry.I considered the possibilityof a research career with a PhD,but I enjoy the richer, deeperinterpersonal relationships in thisprofession.Q: You went back and gotyour MBA. What led you todo that?Early on in practice, I realizedthat I didn’t have enoughbusiness experience and that ispart of a dental practice. Iapplied and was accepted, andI did the MBA on a part timebasis while I was in practice.Q: What was your focus as afaculty member at Louisville?Were you primarily teaching,or did you split your timebetween teaching andresearch?I was in the department ofCommunity Dentistry, which ismuch like Dental Ecology. I hadmy first teaching job, as well as amajor role in addressing dentalworkforce issues. Starting in thelate 1970s early 1980s, therewas tremendous concern over thesupply—and now distribution—of dentists within the state. Asthe co-principle investigator ona statewide oral health study,we examined patients across thestate. Not surprisingly, we foundthat there was a tremendous needin the population—not unlikewhat North Carolina is facingnow. But we found that the needfor oral healthcare and thedemand were not the same.Q: What can UNC-Chapel Hilldo to help tackle the need inthe state?Well, that’s a huge issue thatrequires a thoughtful, complexanswer, but immediately we needto focus on encouraging individualsto distribute themselves oncethey graduate to meet the oralhealth care needs of the state.Q: Louisville was your almamater and you were thedean there. What wouldcause you to leave yourhome and come here?I wasn’t particularly looking fora change, so when I was contactedby the search committee, Ihad to be convinced that therewere challenges at Carolina thatI felt I could help address.Q: Tell us a little bit aboutyour family:I have a lovely wife. We’ll bemarried 31 years in December.We have a daughter who is 20and living in Kentucky, and wehave a yellow lab.Q: What do you like to do inyour free time?We enjoy outdoor activities:boating, water activities. My wifeenjoys gardening. I do somesinging from time to time. I hopeto get back into it here . . . .2
“We need to focus onencouraging individuals todistribute themselves once theygraduate and meet the oralhealth care needs of the state.”choral music. I sang in collegeand sang quite a bit at church.Q: Are you settling into thecommunity?Chapel Hill is extremely welcoming.The people have been verywarm. I very much appreciatethat. The community is verycharming, so we’re settling in.Q: Walk us through yourplan as you come into theschool for your first three tosix months.It’s important to listen to avariety of constituencies. I’vemet with a number of the deans,several of our donors and supportersand I want to continueto do that. I am focusing on theadministrative structure and gaininga better understanding aboutthe ongoing issues and certainlywill focus on the DDS curriculum,education, the researchagenda and the service component.Carolina is in very goodshape. With declining stateresources, we have to sustain ourbudgets and seek other sources ofsupport in order to continue theexcellence that has been here.There’s a tremendous need tohave contemporary educationand research facilities, but it’sgoing to take some time to puttogether a plan and make thathappen.Q: What are some firstimpressions that you have ofthe School?It’s very solid. There are emergingareas—pain, neurosciences,craniofacial genetics, and chronicinflammatory diseases. We needto build structures around theseareas, and invest the resourcesnot only in facilities but also inpeople. An important elementwill be for all of our researchprograms to be richly integratedwith the rest of the Universitybecause oral health is a manifestationof general health.Q: In terms of your vision forthe future, what do youwant to achieve here?My commitment is to workdiligently with faculty, alumni,students, staff, and the UniversityAdministration to achieve notonly the academic plan of theUniversity, but also really focuson what it means to meet yourpublic mission as a state-supportedinstitution. I think this is thenature of Carolina as the firstpublicly-funded University in thecountry.3
Page 1 and 2: A Publication of the University of
Page 3: NORTH CAROLINADENTALREVIEWThe North
Page 7 and 8: A DENTAL HEALTH CRISISThe 1970s ush
Page 9 and 10: Patients in some remote eastern and
Page 11 and 12: Sciences Building some yearsbefore,
Page 14 and 15: The Dental AlumniAssociation welcom
Page 16 and 17: CalendarC ONTINUING D ENTAL E DUCAT
Page 18 and 19: Student Notes,continuedfrom previou
Page 20 and 21: Faculty Notes,continuedfrom previou
Page 22 and 23: ■■■■FACULTY N EWS:RESEARCH
Page 24 and 25: In MemoriamDr. Murry W. HollandJULY
Page 26 and 27: The Dental Foundation of North Caro
Page 28 and 29: Why I GiveJeremy Fry, DDS ’03, an
Page 30 and 31: Gardner Steps Down asDirector of De
Page 32 and 33: Hygiene Alum Serves Orphans in Jama
Page 34 and 35: Class NotesWe want to hear from you
Page 36: Visit us online at www.dent.unc.edu

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