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Flavia Pirih, D.D.S., Ph.D. '06, has been appointed as chair of the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Division of Regenerative and Reconstructive Sciences, effective immediately.

The UCLA School of Dentistry will be well-represented at the 52nd American Association of Dental, Orofacial, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, taking place this week in Portland, Ore.

A total of 12 School-affiliated researchers will present their discoveries, including dental students, residents, postgraduates, and faculty members. The full schedule of UCLA Dentistry presenters is listed below.

Jordan Carfino and Lauren Chapman, both third-year D.D.S. candidates, serve as co-presidents of UCLA’s chapter of the Student National Dental Association. A longstanding organization with over 60 nationwide chapters providing a voice and platform for dental students of color, SNDA at UCLA focuses on inclusive educational events and community outreach … With a little bit of fun mixed in!

Following a three-year hiatus necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual educational and cultural exchange between the UCLA School of Dentistry, Meikai University, and Asahi University resumes this week as 10 Japanese dental students and two faculty members visit Westwood. A similarly-sized Bruin delegation, who are serving as hosts, will then cross the Pacific Ocean from March 23 to April 1.

Awards presented to 10 outstanding researchers and a keynote address on the fascinating oral microbiome highlighted the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Research Day 2023, held Feb. 8 in the Neuroscience Research Building. 

Dr. Yvonne Hernandez-Kapila – who joined the School in July 2022 as associate dean of research – presided over this annual showcase of scientific discovery for the first time.

Iman Evans, D.D.S. ‘25, is the current president of SIDE. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Evans earned her B.A. in Spanish from the College of Charleston before making the move to Westwood. As Black History Month begins, Evans shares her organizational goals, and how she’d like to see dentistry make even greater strides toward becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive field of medicine.

Dr. Henry Cherrick, a professor of oral pathology who served as dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry from 1988 to 1995, passed away Jan. 24, 2023, in Davie, Florida. He was 84.
 
Dr. Cherrick’s affiliation with UCLA spanned two different terms. Arriving at the dental school as assistant professor of oral pathology in 1971, he was promoted to associate professor two years later and then to full professor in 1977. That year, he was honored with the UCLA Alumni Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
 

This Wednesday, Jan. 18, marks the start of the School of Dentistry’s annual Board of Counselors’ Leadership Institute (BOCLI).


Evelyn Chung, D.D.S., has been appointed associate dean of academic affairs for the UCLA School of Dentistry, beginning her appointment effective Jan. 3, 2023.
 
In this role, Dr. Chung will oversee the development and advancement of all curricula and courses in the School’s doctorate programs. She also holds a leadership role in the SOD’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) process, occurring every seven years with the next scheduled for 2026.
 

The UCLA School of Dentistry is pleased to announce Konita Wilks, D.D.S. ’11, P.D. ’14, as its 2022 Alumni of the Year.

Dr. Wilks currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a 355-bed acute care hospital serving the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and High Desert; it is one of four public hospitals in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Appointed to this role in April 2022, she is the first dentist to ever serve as CEO of an LA County Health Services hospital.