These were the rather strong words I heard the other day spoken by former GE CEO Jack Welch on television. While I certainly don’t agree with everything that he has said over the years, the quote resonates with me as we think about the future of our organization. We have several initiatives moving ahead that will greatly impact our future — most significantly, our school’s strategic plan update and our new facility project in the South of Market neighborhood.

January is a great month to look ahead, whether personally, professionally or as an institution. With the holidays now over, it’s a time to reflect and plan for future directions in all aspects of our lives.

Thinking about our school, we can appreciate what we have achieved as an educational institution, but at the same time, we must also recognize that we can’t stop where we are. If we do not continue to move forward, we could easily lose our first-place status.

Many dental schools closed in the 1980s because they remained stagnant. They did not face the reality of a changing world or changing dental education, choosing to live on their reputations. But they also eventually “died” on their reputations.

We will not share their same fate. All the progress we are making — the development of our integrated curriculum, the refinement of our strategic plan and ultimately the move to new facilities — clearly indicates that the Dugoni School is not stagnant at all. We have a bright future ahead.

Change, while sometimes difficult, is often necessary. We have become comfortable in our present environment — we have outstanding people, some of the best and brightest students we could imagine, and a strong dedication to our mission. However, I believe we must continue on our path forward and plan for even greater achievements as a school.

I’m very excited for 2012 and the great strides we will make this year and beyond.

During my Thanksgiving break, I had an opportunity to take some time off, sit and relax, and do some reading, which I much enjoy, in particular historical nonfiction. Over this break, I enjoyed a book about the history of World War II.

What struck me as I read were the hardships that people both in this country and throughout the world faced at that time – the loss of life, the need to sacrifice material comforts, and many other challenges to the nation. It made me even more thankful for what I have today. Fortunately, as a country, we are relatively at peace. Two military engagements that we have been involved in for the past several years seem to be winding down at last. It is to be hoped that this will mean no more loss of life.

Our current era has its own set of challenges, particular economic ones. While everyone has had to make some sacrifices during this difficult time, they do not compare in magnitude to those during World War II, not to mention World War I. And as those difficult periods eventually came to an end, history tells us that this one will as well.

I’m very thankful for my health, family, friends and the opportunity to work at a great institution with great programs and a lot of fantastic people. We will continue to have challenges as we move forward and into our future new facilities, but I am grateful that we will have the opportunity to enhance the Pacific Dugoni reputation locally, nationally and internationally.

I want to wish everyone the very best during the coming weeks. Hopefully I will get to see many of you before we break for the holiday season. In the meantime, if you should have any comments or questions, please get in touch. Thank you all for making my life a very blessed one. Again, if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

In September I visited Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) College of Dental Sciences and Hospital in Hubli, India.

The reason for my trip was that I had been asked by the ADA’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) to lead a delegation of consultants to visit the school as they begin the process of getting accredited. This is the first time a school outside the United States has reached this particular state in the ADA’s accreditation process. I travelled with two other dental educators (one from NYU and one from Baylor); ADA staff members; and a practicing U.S. dentist who is originally from India.

My experience at SDM was very positive. It is an extraordinary, young school – just 25 years old. In recent years they have worked very hard to move toward compliance with CODA’s standards. And while they perhaps have more to do, my impression was they were extremely passionate about providing high-quality dental education, and had great resources at their disposal. I observed that respect for education is high inIndia, visibly so at SDM. In seeing how enthusiastic the educators at SDM are, I have found a new respect for dental education and the work of my colleagues abroad as well as in the United States.

During my visit I also had the privilege of meeting the president of the SDM Educational Society, an organization which oversees not only this dental school, but many schools throughout Southern India. He is a visionary leader and his passion for trying to improve the quality of life for Indian citizens through educational innovation will lead to advancements in his country.

The Indian people I met were incredibly friendly, helpful and kind. I was fascinated by their strong religious beliefs and customs, particularly their reverence of cows. Despite often facing overwhelming poverty, the Indian people are deeply passionate and hardworking, especially in the city of Hubli.

Trips like this remind me that our school’s international partnerships are worth the time we put into nurturing them. In addition to helping each other become better dental education institutions, we can find a new respect for what we do along the way.

As we say in our mission statement, we prepare oral healthcare providers for scientifically based practice and define new standards for education. To that end, we have started to implement the Pacific Dental Helix Curriculum. A new white paper, which I encourage you to read, provides an overview of this new integrated D.D.S. curriculum and describes how it is shaping our school today and into the future. The curriculum is the result of four years of research and planning done as part of the implementation of our school’s strategic plan, Advancing Greatness.

The new curriculum focuses on active versus passive learning. It offers new ways for our students and faculty to interact. It involves small-group, case-based learning, and reorganization of our clinical model into eight small group practices instead of four large ones. These are just some of the changes you’ll read about which exemplify how we are staying at the forefront when it comes to our curriculum.

Read the white paper >>

The access-to-care issue (or “barriers to care” as some organizations refer to it) involves this question: how to best provide dental care to people with lesser economic means, those who live in remote rural areas, seniors, or other underserved or vulnerable Americans who may not be able to access traditional private dental practices or community health clinics?

Ongoing debates are happening in California and across the United States. This is a complex topic because it is a complex problem. States are trying different approaches and a “one-size-fits-all” model will most likely not prevail in the immediate future based on differences between states, not to mention the residents they serve.

I was recently asked by the California Dental Association to chair its Taskforce on Workforce. Several years ago, funding for the Taskforce was approved by the CDA House of Delegates. The Taskforce report has now been released, and I direct you to the CDA’s website where CDA members may access the report. There is much in the report that should be digested by all members of our profession. The committee members plus staff worked on the project for many hours.

The process will continue to be long and surely will not be solved overnight. Dental professionals and leaders in organized dentistry are weighing in with their views. Any recommendations for change in our state will ultimately be reviewed and voted upon by the CDA House of Delegates.

The bottom line is that everyone involved in this issue should look at the evidence. Examine the research and findings of experts who are studying the issue. Whatever your personal position is on this complex issue, I invite you to be at the table. Stay up to date on the evidence. Learn a little more about different models of care. Get involved in CDA and other dental organizations. Discuss the issue with colleagues at local dental society meetings. The CDA has published a list of a series of town hall meetings. I encourage you to attend.

Leadership is one of the core values of the Dugoni School of Dentistry. One of the phrases we often hear around our school is that as a dentist, you are a leader simply by the nature of your role. You are a leader to your patients, family, friends, staff, and professional colleagues as well as in the community.

It is important for dentists to stay engaged with the complex issue of access to care.

Pacific ADEA attendees gathered after the Gies Awards ceremony to celebrate the school's award.

Then this past Monday, I had the pleasure to attend the Gies Awards ceremony at the ADEA Annual Session where the school received its award for Outstanding Vision — Academic Dental Institution. I was so proud to accept the award on behalf of the entire school in a ballroom filled with leaders in dental education.

The vision, talent, and collaborative hard work of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends keep us on the forefront. Our peers continue to take notice of our many student and faculty accomplishments, curriculum enhancements, community service, international partnerships, facilities planning, and other projects identified as part of our school’s strategic plan implementation.

Congratulations to our entire school community — this is your award. Thank you for your commitment to living our vision — “Leading the Improvement of Health by Advancing Oral Health” — and for making our school such a special place.

While you are undoubtedly familiar with the Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, you may not be as familiar with the dental education community’s very own awards presented during the American Dental Education Association session each year. The William J. Gies Awards, given by the ADEAGies Foundation, recognize exceptional contributions to oral health and dental education worldwide.

I am so proud of the work of our entire team. The education community continues to take notice of our curriculum enhancements, student leadership, community involvement, new approaches to faculty development, international partnerships and our focus on feasibility planning for new facilities, to name just a few areas.

We look forward to the ADEA Annual Session in March in San Diego where we’ll join fellow recipients on stage during an awards dinner. Even though it won’t have the celebrity quotient of the entertainment industry’s award shows, the Gies Awards will certainly celebrate some of our own “stars” from the dental education world. We’re pleased to be part of the excitement.

My time as interim provost will be coming to a close early next year, as the University recently announced the appointment of Dr. Maria G. Pallavicini as the new provost after a year-long national search. Dr. Pallavicini has a terrific background in teaching, research and administration and I have no doubt she is going to be a great asset to us all. The official announcement about her appointment can be found on the main University of the Pacific website.

She is due to come on board as provost on February 1, 2011. I look forward to returning home to San Francisco to once again be an intimate part of the Dugoni School family. You particularly appreciate family when you have been away!

Thanks for all the hard work you have all done during my absence, and for the great support you have given Dr. Nadershahi. His accomplishments as acting dean have been extraordinary.

Until the new provost officially starts, I will continue to maintain my schedule as interim provost in Stockton, with occasional visits back to the dental school in San Francisco.

Throughout all these changes, we are still moving forward on our important initiative: the future of the dental school’s facilities. I am looking forward to being able to continue to devote more time and energy to this project, and am excited to see what (and where) the future brings us!

My job at University of the Pacific was made busier these past few months due to my current role as interim provost for the University. Still, late this summer, as I try to do each summer, I made an effort to set aside a weekend for one of my favorite pastimes — fly fishing.

I was so fortunate recently to get a chance to combine my work and my pastime during a trip to Montana, where I got together with several people, including a dental school alumnus who met up with the group, to spend time in the beautiful outdoors. It was terrific to connect with this group, and we enjoyed talking to each other enjoying the peaceful calm of the river and trees.

Those of you who are dental students are expected to put in a great deal of time on your studies and patients. Those of you who are finished with your education but are working, whether as staff or faculty at the school, or as dentists, hygienists (or even outside the dental profession!) probably also find that there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things you need to do, much less to do the things you enjoy.

Yet your leisure time matters as much if not more as anything else; it grounds and recharges you. It makes you a more productive student and worker  — and a happier human being. I urge you to always make time for your favorite pastimes no matter where you find yourself in life. For those who are studying or working in the San Francisco Bay Area, we certainly are fortunate to have plenty of trails, mountains, parks, water and other outdoor attractions outside our front doors, along with a temperate climate. All good reasons to get away from it all — even if only for a few hours at a time.