Spring is here. My allergies confirm this! But, spring is also evidenced by the tremendous activities going on in the School of Dentistry. We are wrapping up a successful recruitment of the next dental student cohort – the class of 2028 – and dental hygiene cohort – the class of 2026. Our students have again demonstrated the excellence of clinical education by achieving a 99% pass rate on the endo board examinations and attaining desired residencies through the match process. We have added to our research portfolio with acquisition of more NIH funding, and we are embarking on new clinical initiatives to enhance education through expanded patient care. Spring in the state capital is also budget time and we are optimistically awaiting final negotiations and signing of the state budget that includes planning authority for the much needed and anticipated new dental school building. There is a lot of ‘blooming’ if you will. 

Good curriculum constantly evolves and we have a great curriculum at VCU. We constantly strive to support learning with contemporary technology and this year we introduced new scanners into our preclinical D2 laboratories. Not to be satisfied, we will introduce scanning to our D1 students’ pre-clinical course work in 2024/2025. We are integrating a digital solution to denture construction, reducing clinical time by one half and virtually eliminating challenges such as resetting of denture teeth. Students are using virtual reality to learn injection techniques. These technical enhancements are matched by increased didactic content as exemplified by last year’s introduction of a comprehensive course in temporomandibular joint/orofacial pain and expanded education in oral medicine.  

Graduation is just ahead, and we’ll be celebrating with our 2024 graduates.   Four years of effort, beginning in the COVID pandemic, and ending in a much more conventional manner is just the beginning of a profession requiring lifelong education.  I’m hopeful that the Class of 2024 – and all our alumni – look to VCU School of Dentistry as a lifelong learning resource. This year we introduced “VIEW” - Virginia Implant Excellence Week to our community and based on its great success, VIEW is back on November 15, 2024. We are proud of our graduates and hope that our graduates take great pride in the uncompromising clinical education provided by our remarkable faculty and will take part in the emerging continuing education offered here. 

Several of our faculty will be retiring and leaving enormous holes in our program and in our hearts. Both Dr. Coffey and Dr. Antonopoulos are retiring and leaving their roles as outstanding group practice leaders. And while here for a short, but very impactful time, Dr. Byerson is returning to private practice. Dr. Ellen Byrne, our Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for many years and everything accreditation is also retiring. While we are sad to see them depart, our spirits are buoyed by the excitement of recruiting new faculty. More about these remarkable new faculty later.

People are our most significant asset, and they must feel welcome and comfortable. In the coming weeks and months, improvements in our physical spaces will be seen. Our patient registration area is under current renovation. Our lobby is about to become a more welcoming space. We recently freshened up our Faculty Practice space and we will soon begin construction of the Roger Wood Special Care Clinic. We are excited that the School of Dentistry will be more inviting and accommodating for our patients, staff, students, and faculty as we await the possibility of an entirely new dental school building. 

Spring is associated with changing landscapes, and we look forward to it every year. I hope you all look forward to the exciting changes that will continue to occur in the School of Dentistry in the coming months. Let’s all explore new ideas and create new opportunities to enhance dental education and patient care here in the School of Dentistry and throughout the communities we all serve.