Welcoming Dr. Sunil Kapila

The UCLA School of Dentistry is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sunil Kapila as Professor and Chair of Orthodontics, and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Operations starting January 1, 2022. Dr. Kapila brings an impressive list of accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, patient care, service, and academic leadership. He obtained his dental degree at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, an MS in orthodontics at the University of Oklahoma as a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar, and a PhD in Oral Biology from UCSF. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.

Dr. Kapila has received several research and clinical awards, including the American Association for Dental Research’s Hatton Award, the American Association of Orthodontist’s (AAO) Milo Hellman Award, and the B.F. Dewel Honorary Research Award, and he was named the Burstone Fellow by the AAO Foundation. In addition to authoring numerous manuscripts and chapters, he has published two textbooks: Current Therapy in Orthodontics and Cone Beam Computed Tomography in Orthodontics.

In his position as Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Operations, Dr. Kapila will work with the SOD leadership team to plan and operationalize strategic initiatives, enhance operations, efficiencies, and synergies, and to identify relevant metrics for capture and reporting. He will also explore and implement new models of oral health care delivery and integration of care with other health services and will recommend best business practices in mission-related activities. Welcome, Dr. Kapila!