Table of Contents
Special Section
Changing the Landscape of Oral Health
Centennial serves as Dental Branch's springboard into the next century
Webster's New World Dictionary defines change as the ability to become distinctly different, to transform so that an identity is preserved or to move from one phase to another. Popular culture simply defines change as something that is good.
Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S., dean of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, has her own definition of change - progress.
"An exemplary institution must strive for excellence and continually advance; therefore it is inevitable that we will constantly be in a state of change," Flaitz said. "We must systematically seek ways to improve the environment around us and within us. We must change our landscape to really make a difference and positively impact the future of dentistry."
That is the premise on which the UT Dental Branch Centennial motto was built. Starting this year as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is focused on Changing the Landscape of Oral Health through Education, Discovery and Community Service.
Flaitz, who was appointed dean in 2004, just prior to the Centennial celebration, believes that "by adopting the Centennial motto as our mission, we are laying the foundation for exceptional teaching, research and service in the next century."
The primary focus for change at the Dental Branch is the location. The school is in the midst of a major effort to construct a new building. The current facility, built in 1955, is 50 years old and is no longer adequate for the high demands of today's dental education.
Flaitz traveled to Austin in April to testify before the Texas House of Representatives Higher Education Committee in favor of requested Tuition Revenue Bonds. The Dental Branch is looking toward legislators to help finance a portion of the construction costs. The remainder will be raised by alumni and friends of the school and the UT Health Science Center at Houston.
"We need our alumni," Flaitz said. "We need their support more than ever if we are going to take this school to the highest tier of dental education and discovery. Our alumni are among the most respected leaders in dentistry and are exceptionally talented, but they are an underutilized resource. This institution needs them to strengthen our educational programs and capitalize on their circle of influence so that we can build a new and technologically advanced dental school building."
The new building will not be only a new structure, but also the dwelling for a revived and renewed institution that can focus on the highest caliber of teaching, patient care and discovery.
"We will capitalize on the rich resources within the Texas Medical Center to build our research enterprise," Flaitz said. "We have organized a research advisory council for developing a strategic plan with input from both local and national experts. As an integral component of the health science center, we will carve out a highly respected and visible niche devoted to oral health discoveries and clinical research."
In addition to research the Dental Branch has placed greater emphasis on technology, student recruitment, diversity, development and communication.
Change is an understatement for what the Dental Branch has undergone in recent years, not to mention the last 100. And if change is to be defined by the institution's next century - progress is the perfect definition.