ASPIRE DDS Program Director

The School of Dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), invites applications of current faculty members for the role of Co-Program Director of the DDS ASPIRE Program.  The incumbent will provide overall leadership and vision for the DDS ASPIRE Program, will oversee curriculum development, program implementation, and evaluation, will ensure alignment of the program with the School and campus priorities, and will contribute to assessment, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts.

This is a 1-year Contract 15% role onsite position.

 

Department Description :

The School is committed to providing outstanding, integrated patient-centered care, preparing the next generation of clinicians and scientists for a rapidly evolving health care system, leading the world in scientific discovery and its translation into improved patient care and public health, creating and maintaining a supportive work and learning environment that attracts the best faculty, staff, students and trainees who can meet the changing needs of the School, society and profession, and optimizing resources to support strategic objectives and maximize stakeholder value. 

We provide comprehensive oral health care services with over 120,000 patient visits per year.  We offer a four-year DDS program as well as a two-year program for international dentists that culminates in the DDS degree. We have numerous specialty residencies, PhD and Master’s degree programs in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, a combined DDS-PhD program, and a combined PhD-dental specialty training program. Other graduate programs include Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology and Bioengineering, and a DDS/MBA program. The School is one of the preeminent oral and craniofacial research enterprises in the world, ranking number one in National Institute of Health funding for 26 consecutive years. 

The Doctor of Dental Surgery Advocacy, Science, Public Interest, and Research (DDS-ASPIRE) is a cornerstone initiative within UCSF Dentistry, designed to strengthen pathways to dental education, support student success, and advance our mission of equity, inclusion, and excellence in oral health education. The program will integrate leadership and research training for ten students from the Class of 2030 as they progress through all four years of the existing academic and clinical curriculum. The goal of DDS-ASPIRE is to expand California’s dental workforce while addressing persistent oral health disparities.

DDS-ASPIRE is intended to develop both skilled clinicians and informed leaders. Participants will gain the knowledge and experience to advocate for resources, influence public health policy, and conduct research that informs strategies to improve oral health equity. By recruiting students committed to serving under-resourced communities, the program supports the development of professionals prepared to meet the needs of populations that have historically struggled with access to care.

Required Qualifications : - Active DDS Licensed - Expert knowledge of internal and external policies and regulatory requirements. Expert knowledge of a health professions education program curriculum and requirements. Maintains a deep expertise in health professions education theory and industry best practices. - Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills to develop and implement processes and systems to highly complex, unprecedented situations in administration and operations. - Excellent communicator; great critical thinking and advising skills. Persuasive ability to change the thinking of, or gain acceptance from leadership. - Highly developed interpersonal skills. Strong diplomacy skills and ability to develop strong working relationships with department, Management, industry leaders and external agencies. Proven ability to advise and influence all levels of leadership and staff. - Highly developed skills and expertise in organizational and project management. Leads teams and directs projects through from inception to completion on schedule. Excellent personal organization skills. - Expert knowledge of current and emerging educational technologies to enhance teaching and learning practices. Expert ability to facilitate educational technology opportunities using technology-based solutions. - Advanced knowledge of data management, documentation methods used in investigating and presenting findings about the program. - Prior clinical and academic experience to ensure effective oversight of program requirements. - Demonstrated experience working with effective teams to identify and resolve problems - Prior experience working with diverse learners - Prior meaningful clinical experience serving underserved and/or marginalized communities with an understanding of the structural and social factors influencing access to oral health care Preferred Qualifications : - Prior experience in academic initiatives that support pathway, bridge, or workforce development programs - Experience with public health dentistry or working in settings that seek to address access to care issues. We ideally want someone who has some public health/FQHC/community clinic dentistry experience.

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world’s leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as https://www.ucsf.edu/about/mission-and-values . In addition to , UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available https://diversity.ucsf.edu/ . Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.