William W. Dodge, D.D.S., named new dean of Dental School

UTHSCatSA logoDodge to oversee opening in 2015 of $95 million dental center                                

President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced today that William W. Dodge, D.D.S., has been named dean of the Dental School effective April 1, 2013.

UTHSCatSA William W. Dodge - Dental School deanDr. Dodge has been serving as dean ad interim since June 2012 while former Dean Kenneth L. Kalkwarf, D.D.S., M.S., served as president ad interim during Dr. Henrich’s medical leave. Dr. Kalkwarf, who served as dental dean for 24 years, is serving as special assistant to the president and plans to retire this summer.

“Dr. Dodge successfully led the Health Science Center’s Dental School as dean ad interim. Prior to that, he served as vice dean of the Dental School since 2004 and associate dean for patient care from 1996 through 2003. He joined the Health Science Center in 1978 after five years as a successful general dentist in San Antonio and two years as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps,” said Dr. Henrich.

Dr. Dodge holds the rank of professor with tenure in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Trinity University in San Antonio and his Doctorate of Dental Surgery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Jill, have two sons, Rhett and Ryan.

“Dr. Dodge is highly regarded by his colleagues in academic dentistry throughout the nation for his expertise in matters of accreditation of dental programs, competency assessment, evidence-based clinical education and financing of dental education. Dr. Dodge’s goal, shared by me and the faculty, is that the school be regarded as the finest dental school in our country.

“His leadership and vision, most notably regarding the school’s clinical endeavors, helped the Dental School to be awarded money from the Permanent University Fund to build a state-of-the-art Center for Oral Health Care & Research which will open next to the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC) in 2015. I have complete confidence that Dr. Dodge will lead the school in an exemplary manner in the years to come,” Dr. Henrich added.

The Center for Oral Health Care & Research is the future of oral health care education, training and patient care for the Dental School. The $95 million facility will feature 198,000 square feet and house all clinical training and patient care. The building will facilitate clinical research trials which can generate advancements in innovation and patient care.

The Dental Dean Search Committee, which was led by Eileen Breslin, Ph.D., RN, dean of the School of Nursing, identified many outstanding candidates for this role before selecting Dr. Dodge as the Dental School’s fifth dean.

For current news from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, please visit our news release website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 28,000 graduates. The $736 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.