Ann Arbor, MI — March 21, 2013 — Dr. Laurie McCauley has been named the new dean of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.  The announcement of her five-year appointment was made today by U-M Provost Philip Hanlon and approved by Regents at their meeting.  She will succeed Dr. Peter Polverini who completes his second term on August 31.

McCauley is the first woman and the 13^th person to be named dean since the School of Dentistry was founded in 1875. 

“Professor McCauley is a seasoned academic administrator whose service to the School of Dentistry, the University and beyond is extensive,” Hanlon said.  “She brings a unique blend of clinical experience, research achievement, pedagogical leadership, and administrative success to the position.”

McCauley is the William K. and Mary Anne Najjar Professor of Periodontics who previously chaired the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine (2002-2012), one of the School’s largest, with more than 180 faculty, staff, and graduate students.  She is also a professor of pathology at the U-M Medical School.  Since last fall she has been a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Sustaining Excellence

“Leading the U-M School of Dentistry is a great honor.  I am delighted to serve as dean of this outstanding institution steeped in a rich tradition of excellence,” McCauley said.  “I am looking forward to working with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to further efforts that engage and inspire future clinicians and academicians who will lead in developing and implementing innovative therapies that become the gold standard of future clinical care.”

McCauley also spoke highly of “the School’s exemplary faculty dedicated to preparing our highly committed students to provide services ranging from outstanding primary care to the most sophisticated specialty care.”

Noting that the University of Michigan School of Dentistry “is one of the foremost institutions where clinical excellence works with scientific discovery that results in high quality care for patients,” McCauley said that under her leadership, “our focus will respect tradition while building, reaching, and connecting to foster leadership in dental education, provide exceptional multidisciplinary clinical care, and sustain excellence in our research mission.”

Successful Professional Career Path

McCauley earned her professional degrees from The Ohio State University — a Doctor of Dental Surgery (1985); a Master of Science in dentistry (1988); and a PhD in veterinary pathobiology (1991).

She began her academic career in 1984 as a student teaching assistant at the OSU College of Dentistry and held other teaching positions prior to coming to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1992 as an assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics.  Dr. Martha Somerman, the director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, chaired the Department at that time.

“The University of Michigan School of Dentistry was fortunate to recruit Laurie.  I knew then that she would be a successful scientist.  Her intellectual and professional growth over the years has been remarkable,” Somerman said.  “Laurie has become an outstanding leader, mentor, and advocate for dental health care nationally and internationally.”

Somerman added, “In addition to her gifts as an educator, researcher, and clinician, Laurie is also a strategic thinker, detail oriented, and seeks ideas and opinions from others.  She cares.  The University of Michigan is fortunate to have the top leader in our field of dental and oral/craniofacial biology at the helm of the School of Dentistry.”

McCauley was an associate professor at the School of Dentistry (1996-2001), a professor of dentistry (2001 to present), an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the U-M Medical School (2001-2009), and has been a professor in that department for the past four years.  She also directed the School of Dentistry’s Center for Biorestoration of Oral Health (1996-2002).

In addition to being a visiting professor at the Harvard Medical School since last fall, McCauley was also a visiting professor at École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, France (2005-2006) and a visiting scientist at the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire in Strasbourg, France (1998-1999). 

Research Focus

McCauley’s research has focused on hormonal controls of bone which include studies of anabolic actions of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), specifically, their cellular mechanisms of action and applications for craniofacial regenerative medicine. 

She has received many awards for her research including the Basic Research in Biological Mineralization Award from the International Association for Dental Research (2011) and the William J. Gies Award from the American Dental Education Association (2010), and the Paula Stern Achievement Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2010).

Professional Memberships

She is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, and a Fellow in both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.  She is the second dentist in the history of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research to be elected to its council.

McCauley served on the National Institutes of Health’s National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (2008-2011); was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007); was associate editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (2007-2012); and a council member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2007-2012).  McCauley was also a member of the editorial boards of Oral Diseases (2006-2009), the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (2004-2009), and Calcified Tissue International (2002-2007).

Click this link for additional biographical information about Dr. McCauley.

Hanlon named a 14-member committee to search for a successor to Dean Polverini after he announced that he would not seek a third five-year term as dean.  The committee included tenure and clinical track faculty, staff, a student, and alumni.  It was chaired by Dr. Jacques Nör, the Donald A. Kerr Collegiate Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics.