| As of Dec. 1, Dr. Michael Glick will serve as the new dean of the School of Dental Medicine University at Buffalo SUNY.
Glick is professor of oral medicine and associate dean for oral and medical sciences at the School of Osteopathic Medicine at A. T. Still University (ATSU) in Arizona and editor of the premier peer-reviewed journal on dentistry and dental science, The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Known for his innovative, medicine-oriented approach to dental care, Glick is a proponent of having dental students think of themselves as health care professionals first, and dentists second. His research interests are focused primarily on the care of the medically complex dental patient, and he has published extensively and lectured worldwide on this topic.
David L. Dunn, vice president for health sciences, noted that Glick emerged early on in the national search as the front-runner among a very strong pool of candidates.
“It rapidly became clear that Dr. Glick’s administrative acumen, stellar research and clinical background, as well as his national and international experience and reputation, made him a superb fit for the position within the UB Academic Health Center,” Dunn said.
“Dr. Glick’s dry wit, collegial and forthright nature, and the experience he has acquired in a number of diverse academic environments are invaluable assets that he brings to the position. He also brings enormous cachet to UB and its School of Dental Medicine as the editor of The Journal of the American Dental Association.”
Glick will succeed Richard Buchanan, who last year announced plans to step down as dean after seven years in the post to devote more time to national issues in dental education.
Glick said he was drawn to the UB dental school because UB’s Academic Health Center—comprising the schools of Dental Medicine, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Public Health and Health Professions—offers “an environment very conducive to research, education and inter-unit collaboration.” He said he plans to focus on strengthening the connections between dental, oral and medical health to complement UB’s already well-established record of groundbreaking research in this area.
“One way of approaching dentistry is to look into the mouth of the patient and note the effects of systemic illness on his oral health,” said Glick, who pointed out that in 2006, 64 percent of all adults in the U.S. visited dentists, while only 39 percent saw a physician. “Or, we could take advantage of this opportunity and act as health care professionals whose approach is proactive and screen for hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.” |
