Dean’s Welcome
Welcome to our October Newsletter! This issue spotlights the 50th anniversary celebration of our Dental Hygiene Program, led by Magda de la Torre, RDH, MPH, Director of the Division of Dental Hygiene. This program has training sites in both San Antonio and Laredo, contributing to its broad impact across South Texas. A distinctive hallmark of our Dental Hygiene Program is the incredible long-term record of performance of our students on national examinations. Their outstanding performance is a credit to the professionalism of our students and the quality of our dental hygiene faculty.
We have also experienced several faculty transitions. Christine Meiners, DDS, FICD, has assumed the role of Associate Dean for Community Engagement. Meiners brings many years of experience to this position and has hit the ground running. After more than 50 years of leadership in esthetic dentistry, Nasser Barghi, DDS, MA, has retired. As described later in this newsletter, Barghi has lectured worldwide and received numerous awards, including the UTHSCA Master Clinician Award in 2021.
We continue preparing for the CODA site visit in September 2027. The predoctoral self-study report is in its penultimate draft, and we will hold our mock site visit in January 2027. For each residency program, the self-study reports are being prepared by our program directors. While this represents an extensive effort by our faculty, it provides an important opportunity to analyze, reflect on and implement new initiatives to continue improving our educational training programs.
This issue also highlights achievements of students, residents, faculty and alumni. Collectively, these stories highlight our ongoing dedication to making lives, and smiles, better. Thank you for being part of our School’s legacy.
Wishing you all the best,
Ken Hargreaves, DDS, PhD
Dean