UMB StaffThe first dental college in the world, the highly ranked University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) continues to shape the profession today. The Catalyst Campaign has bolstered our greatest strengths: graduating highly skilled practitioners prepared to become the oral health leaders of the future, providing superlative patient care, and recruiting and retaining world-class innovators, clinicians, and educators. Increased financial aid enhances our ability to attract gifted students while corporate educational partnerships help provide them with access and exposure to new and emerging technologies. UMSOD’s faculty is improving dental, oral, and craniofacial health through pioneering research and advances in discovery-based therapeutics.
Established New Scholarships
We opened doors to greater student opportunity by creating 43 new scholarships and increasing our endowments by $4 million. Recruiting and supporting qualified students is critical to our mission of fostering an inclusive learning environment that nurtures excellence, achievement, and leadership.
Dean’s Scholarship for Leadership and Excellence
Two highly coveted Dean’s Scholarships for Leadership and Excellence were established to celebrate outstanding student leaders who aspire to have a positive impact on their communities. The scholarship is supported primarily by the “Socks for Scholarships” fundraising effort, which has received more than $120,000.
New Endowed Professorships
To support excellence in teaching, patient care, and research, five endowed professorships including the inaugural endowment — the Frederick G. Smith,
MS, DDS, and Venice K. Paterakis, DDS, Endowed Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery — were established. Endowed professorships help us recruit and retain dynamic educators and innovators.
Served Maryland Residents
Our students and faculty engaged
the community through initiatives including Mission of Mercy events, which provide underserved Maryland residents with no-cost dental care, and the school’s dental clinics, which annually offer oral health care to more than 20,000 patients in Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Strategic Collaborations Expanded
We strengthened strategic collaborations with corporate educational partners such as Nobel Biocare USA, Bien Air USA, and DrFirst that enhance the school’s ability to train students in new digital dentistry techniques and offer patients state-of-the-art care.
Advanced Research and Discovery
Our exemplary faculty researchers pioneered novel investigations that are poised to transform patient care.
- Robert K. Ernst, PhD, is developing a technology that identifies infections by designing a “barcode” for each pathogen strain.
- Radi Masri, DDS, MS, PhD, investigates neuronal mechanisms of chronic, intractable pain and develops innovative methods to alleviate pain. He also developed technology to enhance performance of dental restorations.
- Man-Kyo Chung, DMD, PhD, is seeking novel solutions to chronic oral pain by studying the benefits of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers.
- Tao Lowe, PhD, is leading groundbreaking translational research in biomaterials to develop delivery platforms capable of crossing biological barriers and offering the controlled release of drugs.
