Featherstone to Serve as Interim Dean of UCSF School of Dentistry

John Featherstone, MSc, PhD, director of the Program in Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences and Engineering in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, has been named interim dean of the UCSF School of Dentistry, effective July 16. Featherstone will serve in the post until a successor to Dean Charles Bertolami, has been recruited. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc, has accepted an appointment as dean of the New York University College of Dentistry, effective September 1. "Professor Featherstone is a distinguished scholar and educator, whose previous experience in academic administration will serve him in good stead during his service as Interim Dean," Chancellor Mike Bishop, MD, wrote in an email to the campus community. "I thank him on behalf of the UCSF community for taking on this important assignment, and ask that you all join me in giving him wholehearted support." Featherstone earned his MSc degree in physical chemistry from the University of Manchester (UK) and a PhD, in chemistry from the Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). His research over the past 33 years has covered several aspects of cariology (study of tooth decay), including fluoride mechanisms of action, caries risk assessment, de- and remineralization of the teeth, apatite chemistry, salivary dysfunction, caries (tooth decay) prevention, and laser effects on dental hard tissues, with an emphasis on caries prevention and early caries removal. He is currently active in implementing caries management by risk assessment in several dental schools across the nation. Featherstone has won numerous national and international awards, including the International Association for Dental Research Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Dental Caries (2000), the Zsolnay Prize from the European Organization for Caries Research Organization (2002) for his lifelong contributions to caries research, the Ericsson Prize in Preventive Dentistry from the Swedish Patent Revenue Fund (2002) and the Norton Ross Award for clinical research from the American Dental Association (2007). He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Laser Dentistry. Featherstone has published more than 200 manuscripts and book chapters. He is the principal investigator on one National Institutes of Health (NIH) RO1 grant and co-investigator on six other NIH grants. Featherstone has a long history of successful mentorship of MS and PhD degree students, totaling close to 40 graduate students. He has also mentored numerous predoctoral fellows, postdoctoral fellows and international visiting scientists. He was director of the MS degree program in oral biology at UCSF for several years. His teaching commitments span the predoctoral and graduate programs at UCSF, and he has won several teaching awards. He has previously served as a department chair for a total of 21 years, most recently as chair of the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences at the UCSF School of Dentistry. Related Links: UCSF School of Dentistry Faculty Spotlight Dentistry Dean to Take Post at NYU
UCSF Today, May 8, 2007