Gazette: Gazetteer (Mar/Apr 2003)

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APPOINTMENTS

New Dental Dean Appointed

As the Gazette was going to press last month, we learned that Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, assistant dean of research and professor and chair of the periodontics department at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, has been appointed dean of the School of Dental Medicine. She will assume her new position at Penn this summer, replacing Dr. Raymond Fonseca, who has led the school for the past 15 years.

Jeffcoat, who graduated from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, also studied there as a research fellow in periodontology and as a Medical Foundation fellow. At Alabama, she served as interim chair of the Department of Oral Biology and as a professor of biochemical engineering. A past president of the American Association for Dental Research and of the International Association for Dental Research, she is now editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

“Dr. Jeffcoat’s reputation as a clinical researcher and her leadership at the University of Alabama put her at the very forefront of dental medicine today,” said Penn President Judith Rodin CW’66. “Her strong credentials and her vision for the future of dental medicine and dental education make her an ideal candidate to lead Penn’s dental school forward as it continues to enhance and develop its leadership in research and education.”

Rodin also saluted Fonseca, whose “leadership and vision these past 15 years have enabled the school to reach new heights and solidify its reputation as one of the top dental schools in the nation and a leader in global oral-health initiatives.” Fonseca will remain at Penn as professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

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