PHILADELPHIA – Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, DMD, award-winning dental researcher, professor and administrator at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, has been named dean of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn President Judith Rodin announced. She will assume her new position this summer.

"We are delighted that a researcher and academic of Dr. Jeffcoat's caliber will be bringing her considerable talents to Penn's dental school, " Rodin said. "Our faculty are in the midst of exciting, cutting-edge research and innovative curriculum development, and Penn's community oral health programs are second to none. We believe Dr. Jeffcoat's background and experience will enable her to build on the school's outstanding base and carry it forward."

A periodontist, Jeffcoat is a graduate of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where she also studied as a research fellow in periodontology and a Medical Foundation fellow. She earned her undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Most recently at Alabama, Jeffcoat has served as assistant dean of research and professor and chair of the department of periodontics. She has also been a professor of biomedical engineering, held the James Rosen Endowed Chair of Dental Research and served as interim chair for the department of oral biology. She has been coursemaster for senior periodontics and clinical periodontics and a member of more than a dozen academic committees, boards and task forces in addition to the university's faculty practice.

Previously, she taught periodontology for 10 years at Harvard, where she also served on a number of clinical and academic committees.

" Dr. Jeffcoat's reputation as a clinical researcher and her leadership at the University of Alabama-Birmingham put her at the very forefront of dental medicine today," said Penn Provost Robert Barchi.

"Her strong credentials and her vision for the future of dental medicine and dental education make her an ideal candidate to lead Penn's dental school forward as it continues to enhance and develop its leadership in research and education," Barchi said.

Jeffcoat is a past president of both the American Association for Dental Research and the International Association for Dental Research and currently serves on the National Institutes of Health-NIDCR Advisory Committee for Research on Women's Health. She has served on the editorial boards of a variety of professional research journals for more than 20 years, including her current position as editor-in-chief of the Journal of The American Dental Association.

Her professional honors include the Clinical Research Award and the Gies Award, both from the American Academy of Periodontology, and the President's Achievement Award from the University of Alabama-Birmingham., in addition to more than a dozen others.

Established in 1878, the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has a history of forging precedents in dental education, research and patient care and is ranked consistently among the top five dental schools in the country. The school is among the top dental schools in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding received, and globally, it is one of only 37 World Health Organization Collaborating Centers on oral health around the world.

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