Flaitz Named Dean of UT Dental Branch at Houston

Following a national search, Catherine Flaitz, D.D.S., was named dean of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston after serving as interim dean of the school since September 2002.

Catherine Flaitz, D.D.S.

“I am honored to have been chosen as the dean of the Dental Branch, especially as we prepare to celebrate our centennial in 2005,” Flaitz said. “This is an exciting time for the school, as we look forward to beginning our second century of providing excellent education and clinical care and further developing our research and discovery enterprise.

“There is an optimistic and collaborative spirit within the school and the community that is generating a positive momentum for growth,” she said. “The timing is perfect for the Dental Branch to partner with the components of the Texas Medical Center to explore the ways that molecular medicine can improve oral health.”

The appointment was announced July 13 by James T. Willerson, M.D., president of the UT Health Science Center at Houston. “I am truly proud of Dr. Flaitz’s accomplishments and the enthusiasm she brings to this position,” he said. “Her experience in private practice and in academia is superb.”

The announcement of Flaitz’s appointment was followed by sustained applause from the audience in the full lecture hall and a standing ovation at the end of the meeting.

Under Flaitz’s direction, the UT Dental Branch has created new programs while also dealing with budget reductions and reorganization. Recent achievements include:

the creation of a new D.D.S./Ph.D. track as well as a baccalaureate in dental hygiene,
participation in an extensive self-study program for the 2005 re-accreditation,
development of a multidisciplinary and comprehensive patient care teaching model,
implementation of faculty development and enrichment programs, and
expansion of community outreach activities.

In addition, the UT Dental Branch has received two federally funded research and education training grants that will enhance the quality of the new programs. The school is also:

incorporating new technologies such as dental simulation into the educational programs,
developing new initiatives to supplement traditionally low faculty salaries, and
updating equipment in the clinics, teaching laboratories and classrooms.

At the same time, the school has capitalized on educating and training students while providing high quality care to patients who otherwise couldn’t afford it.

“There is an optimistic and collaborative spirit within the school and community that is generating a positive momentum for growth,” Flaitz said.

“The UT Dental Branch has always had an excellent reputation for clinical care, and that is something I am very proud of,” Flaitz said. “The school provides almost a million dollars in charitable dental care every year through our clinics and community outreach programs, such as the mobile dental van.”

The van visits area elementary schools and health fairs throughout East and South Texas, providing dental care to the underserved community. Operating four or five days a week, nine or 10 hours a day, the van’s staff has provided treatment to more than 3,000 patients in the last year.

“Also, we are working very hard to keep the dental community informed about the great things we are accomplishing at the school,” Flaitz said. “We have expanded our association with the Greater Houston Dental Society and launched an alumni newsletter, and we are pursuing a comprehensive fund-raising and marketing initiative.”

Flaitz came to the Dental Branch in 1990 as an associate professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology and pediatric dentistry. She was promoted to professor and chair of diagnostic sciences and also served as director of the oral and maxillofacial pathology residency program from 2000-01. Flaitz maintains an active clinical practice for children and adults with oral diseases and is director of the surgical oral and maxillofacial pathology laboratory service.

Throughout her career, Flaitz has earned major grants for clinical research, primarily for her work on diagnostic techniques and novel treatment approaches for oral lesions in healthy and HIV-positive patients. She has dedicated significant time to working with HIV-positive patients at the Bering Omega Dental Clinic, and she has repeatedly traveled to orphanages in Romania to provide dental care to HIV-infected and handicapped children.

Flaitz is a fellow in the American College of Dentists, has won the George W. Teuscher Silver Pen Award from the Journal of Dentistry for Children, received the Journalism Award from the American Society of Dentistry for Children Foundation, and was named Student Research Mentor of the Year by the UT Dental Student Research Group.

She has received the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation Research Award on multiple occasions. The Dental Branch has honored her with the Alumni Teaching Excellence Award and the Spirit of Teaching Award. She has authored almost 200 journal articles, 20 book chapters and a color atlas.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her D.D.S. degree from Creighton University, Flaitz earned a master’s degree in pediatric dentistry from the University of Iowa. She also completed a dental residency program in oral and maxillofacial pathology at Iowa. She went on to a private pediatric dentistry practice in Denver and was an assistant professor at the University of Colorado’s School of Dentistry before joining the UT Dental Branch faculty.

The UT Dental Branch is one of six schools within the UT Health Science Center at Houston. The school has more than 175 faculty positions and 445 students, who collectively provide oral care to about 100,000 patients a year in dental clinics and hospitalbased programs. Established in 1905 as the Texas Dental College, it became The University of Texas School of Dentistry in 1943. It is the oldest school of professional dental education in Texas, with approximately 9,000 graduates.

— Shannon Rasp, Public Affairs