Paul Krebsbach named new dean of UCLA Dentistry

Dr. Paul Krebsbach, Credit: University of Michigan

Dr. Paul Krebsbach, one of the nation’s leading researchers in tissue engineering and stem cell biology and a respected academic leader, has been appointed dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh announced today that Krebsbach will become the eighth dean of UCLA Dentistry, effective June 30. He will succeed Dr. No-Hee Park, who has served as dean since 1998 and is returning to teaching and research.

Krebsbach has been a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan since 1996. He is the Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry and a professor of biomedical engineering, and he has served as chair of the department of biologic and materials sciences and division of prosthodontics since 2005. Prior to that, he was a senior staff fellow for three years at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of the National Institutes of Health.

“Paul brings to UCLA a national reputation as an exceptional leader as well as a deep understanding of the unique mission of public research universities,” Waugh said. “I am confident that he will build upon the School of Dentistry’s tradition of excellence.”

The recipient of the International Association for Dental Research’s 2010 Distinguished Scientist Award for Basic Research in Biological Mineralization, Krebsbach is the author of more than 180 articles and chapters, and he holds two patents. His research focuses on the cell and molecular biology of mineralized tissues and self-renewal of adult and pluripotent stem cells. He has been the principal investigator of research funded by nearly $19.5 million in grants.

“I am thrilled to become part of the UCLA community of scholars,” Krebsbach said. “The School of Dentistry attracts the very best students and the faculty is exceptional. I’m looking forward to working together to take on the new challenges in dental education and to seizing new and exciting opportunities.”

For 10 years, Krebsbach served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. He currently is on the editorial boards of Bone Research, the Journal of Healthcare Leadership and the International Journal of Oral Science.

Krebsbach earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of St. Thomas, a D.D.S. from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences and certificate in periodontology from the University of Connecticut Health Center.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and was awarded the William J. Gies Award by the International Association for Dental Research/American Association for Dental Research and an Independent Scientist Award by the NIH and NIDCR. Earlier this year, he completed a one-year term as president of the AADR, and he is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the IADR.