Tag Archives: dean

The Dugoni School is a busy place of learning and achievement in the fall season. Our new students are getting adjusted to their course schedules. Classes and clinics are in full swing, and our upcoming graduates are one step closer to finishing up their studies and joining the ranks of our alumni. Our faculty and staff are also working hard to prepare for our move next year to our new downtown San Francisco campus.

You’ll read more about the construction of our new facility at 155 Fifth Street in the pages that follow. The work is moving along at a fast pace. The clinics, learning and meeting spaces, laboratories and other parts of the new campus are getting close to completion. We are working with our equipment and technology partners as they install simulation technology, new dental chairs and other equipment in the building.

The dental school family will soon have an opportunity to celebrate our new campus. Please mark your calendar for the weekend of March 7–9, when we host the 115th Annual Alumni Meeting in San Francisco. On March 7, we’ll host a special day of dedication activities at the new building, including an afternoon open house for students, faculty and staff, and an evening reception for alumni. We’ll also host a brunch on Sunday, March 9 at the 2155 Webster Street building where alumni will have a special opportunity to visit the building one last time and relive a few memories of dental school. You won’t want to miss this special weekend to celebrate our school’s past and future.

While we look to the future in this issue of Contact Point, we also look to the past through the eyes of a few alumni from the 1960s who have made history together. These lifelong friends share their memories of dental school and their lives thereafter. We hope you enjoy reading about their strong ties. Perhaps you’ll revisit some of your own memories and friendships forged during, and since, your time at dental school.

This issue also features our annual Honor Roll of Donors. We recognize that our success as a school is made possible by the generosity of our alumni, friends and other supporters. Thank you for continuing to give back. Here’s to another great year of the Dugoni School family moving forward, together.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick J. Ferrillo, Jr.
Dean

Fueled By Passion

May 13, 2013

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Issues Dean's Message Spring 2013 No Comments

by Patrick J. Ferrillo, Jr., Dean

Among our many other responsibilities as healthcare providers, we are responsible for possessing an honest passion for what we do. Our patients expect us to care deeply about their health and well-being. An important motivator, passion plays a similar role in dental education. Often the best faculty members are those who feel a true drive to help students become thoughtful and well-rounded practitioners. Students who have a passion for learning or for helping others will get through the rigors of dental school better than those who don’t share that inner drive.

This issue of Contact Point is about passion — those things that make us feel fulfilled as individuals and professionals. In the following pages, you’ll find stories about passionate members of the Pacific Dugoni family. We’ll explore the non-dental passions of some of our alumni and faculty in one of our feature stories. From organic farming to singing, I think you’ll be fascinated by what these dental professionals do in addition to their work in dentistry.

You’ll also read about some recent school milestones and how these accomplishments were driven by passionate individuals from every level and group at our school — students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends. We’re in the midst of a very forward-thinking time at the dental school, especially with the creation of our new San Francisco campus, but it’s also important to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and from where we’ve come. I know that all of these milestones would not have happened if not for hard work coupled with—yes—a passion for keeping Pacific Dugoni on the forefront of dental education.

We round out our feature stories by profiling our Alumni Association, which recently transitioned from being a separate nonprofit organization to an official department of the dental school. You’ll get an up-close look at our Alumni Association’s activities, which are all driven by a group of individuals who care deeply about providing a reliable and valuable resource for our thousands of alumni.

Finally, I hope you enjoy an excerpt from the Journal of Dental Education, written by one of the most passionate individuals I know, Dean Emeritus Arthur A. Dugoni.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about our students who are discovering and demonstrating their passion for caring for patients. It makes me feel optimistic and excited about the future of dentistry, dental education and Pacific Dugoni.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick J. Ferrillo, Jr.

Dean

Healthy Choices

April 4, 2012

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Issues Dean's Message Spring 2012 No Comments

The connection between oral health and overall health is a topic that we dental professionals frequently bring up in our efforts to educate patients and improve their well-being. A healthy mouth contributes to a healthy life, and that’s one message we all should reinforce.

This issue of Contact Point touches on the concept of health in several ways. Our Current Issue section highlights a new lecture series on the link between oral health and systemic health being presented by Dugoni School faculty members at Stanford University School of Medicine. This unique lecture series is bringing together medical and dental professionals to better inform physicians about oral health topics. We’re proud to be part of this collaborative project.

We are also emphasizing overall health around our school community through some new campus activities. Our Health and Wellness Committee takes the lead on many events, including organizing weekly after-school walks around San Francisco’s hills, Boot Camp workouts, guest speakers on health topics, partnerships with fitness centers and our annual Active for Life team fitness program held each fall in partnership with the American Cancer Society. Two years ago the school also launched a weekly farmers’ market on our first-floor plaza to offer healthy produce to students, faculty, staff, patients and the neighborhood. These activities demonstrate that wellness is a focus at the Dugoni School of Dentistry.

This issue also covers University of the Pacific’s purchase of a building to house our future new San Francisco campus—a landmark decision that will benefit future generations of students. The seven-story structure in the City’s South of Market district will provide a vibrant, flexible presence for our dental school and future University programs. Details about the exciting purchase and upcoming renovations are covered in the pages that follow, including thoughts from alumni, students and faculty members.

In planning for the future in terms of how we communicate, we are excited to launch Contact Point Online. Our magazine’s new digital version is a dynamic home for expanded content, exclusive web features, photo galleries and more. We hope you check it out and stay in touch with us online and offline alike.

In a variety of ways, we are contributing to the health of our great institution — our people, programs and the physical structures in which we learn, teach, work and socialize.

In the spirit of supporting wellness in all its forms, we wish you the best in your own health as well.

Dr. Patrick J. Ferrillo, Jr.
Dean