Two associate deans named for School of Dentistry

Dr. Paul B. Robertson, dean of the School of Dentistry, has named two faculty members to associate dean positions.

DeRouen

Dr. Timothy A. DeRouen becomes associate dean for research and will be responsible for the school’s extensive research activities.

Dr. James C. Steiner has been named to the newly created position of associate dean for curriculum and instructional resources

DeRouen says he plans to continue the successful efforts of his predecessor, Dr. Roy Page. During his tenure, the UW dental school became first in the nation in the amount of research funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), which provides most of the funding for oral and craniofacial health research. Page continues at the UW as director of the Regional Clinical Dental Research Center and professor of pathology and periodontics.

“Part of my responsibilities will include helping mentor junior faculty as they establish the research component of their academic careers. This is an important role that I’m particularly looking forward to,” DeRouen says.

“Dr. DeRouen’s extensive experience in leading research and mentoring junior scientists will be a great asset to the school,” Robertson says.

DeRouen will continue as professor and chair of the Department of Dental Public Health Sciences as well as a professor of biostatistics in UW School’s of Public Health and Community Medicine. He will also continue as director of the recently funded Comprehensive Center for Oral Health Research, which is investigating oral health of children.

Steiner with a third-year student

DeRouen joined the faculty in the UW Department of Biostatistics in 1975, and worked on research in cardiovascular and sexually transmitted diseases prior to his current activities in oral health research. He was an associate dean of the School of Public Health from 1979 to 1985. He was appointed to the faculty of the School of Dentistry in 1985, and became chair of Dental Public Health Sciences in 1986. He holds a Ph.D. in statistics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va.

Steiner will coordinate activities of the school’s curriculum committee, which continuously reviews curriculum to make sure instruction is effective in fulfilling the school’s goals for students.

Steiner will also encourage interdisciplinary courses and coordinate curriculum with other offerings in the UW health sciences schools. He will be heavily involved in the use of technology in the school, such as integrating the latest, most effective technologies in the curriculum.

“We created the position in order to keep our school at the cutting edge of curriculum and technology,” Robertson says. “Dr. Steiner is uniquely qualified for this position because he has helped us make significant progress in both areas.”

Steiner is a clinical professor in the school’s Department of Endodontics and holds the Washington Dental Service (WDS) Endowed Chair in Dentistry. He has been developing an innovative course in practice management for fourth-year students, which he began teaching this fall.

For four years, Steiner has helped create the school’s multimedia clinic. He was chairman of the committee that designed and implemented the clinic, which includes individual computer workstations and dental simulation models. (See the Jan. 6 University Week.)

“I believe technology can play a vital role in improving the educational experience of our student dentists,” Steiner says.

Steiner, a graduate of Western Reserve University, served in the U.S. Air Force and then practiced general dentistry. After completing his specialty training in endodontics at the UW, he was a member of the faculty and director of graduate endodontics until 1971.

After 12 years of specialty private practice, Steiner became chair of endodontics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He returned to the UW in 1992 and is active in endodontic education at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. ¶

Walter Neary