Nationally Recognized Educator Named Dean of the School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Mary Truhlar, a 1984 Stony Brook graduate and 25-year faculty member, to establish centers of excellence to expand education, research and clinical care
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| Mary R. Truhlar |
Stony Brook, NY, January 14, 2015 –
Mary R. Truhlar, DDS, MS, a nationally recognized dental medicine educator, has been named Dean of the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, announced Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine.
Dr. Truhlar, a 1984 graduate of the School of Dental Medicine and faculty member for the past 25 years, has most recently served as Interim Dean of the School. Her long-term service to the School has included establishing a clinical practice at Stony Brook early in her career that continues today; developing educational programs for students and residents, including courses in geriatric dentistry and treating the medically compromised; serving as Director of the Division of Geriatric Dentistry, then in 2005 being named Chair of the Department of General Dentistry, the School’s largest department.
As Chair of Geriatric Dentistry, she oversaw pre- and post-doctoral curriculum in general dentistry, prosthodontics dentistry, radiology, dental anatomy and operative dentistry, behavioral sciences and practice management, as well as the Stony Brook University Hospital General Practice Residency Program. This residency program has been reformatted and expanded considerably over the years and now includes 20 residents and incorporates a special needs patient care program.
“In all of her roles at Stony Brook, Dr. Truhlar has demonstrated a passion for professional education within the Dental School, and in collaboration with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare, and the Long Island State Veterans Home,” said Dr. Kaushansky. “Her vision will continue to strengthen the School and the entire educational and clinical missions of Stony Brook Medicine.”
“I am honored to be named Dean of the School of Dental Medicine and am committed to implementing programs and initiatives that advance our excellence in education, research, and patient care, enabling our school to serve as a national model of contemporary dental education and clinical practice,” said Dr. Truhlar.
Dr. Truhlar plans to create Centers of Excellence that will incorporate dental research and clinical care models. Examples will be the creation of a Community-Based Center of Excellence, which will include use of the mobile dental clinic to reach underserved communities and school children; and a Regional Imaging Center of Excellence to foster a postdoctoral training program and dental imaging research.
In concert with Stony Brook Medicine’s Associate Dean of Information Technology, the School will also establish collaborative services with the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Schools to expand the use of new technologies in the classroom and online that will enhance education, research and patient care services.
After receiving her DDS from the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Truhlar completed her General Practice Residency and Chief Residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, before receiving a Master’s of Science Degree in Dentistry from Marquette University and a Fellowship Certificate in Geriatric Dentistry from the Milwaukee Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She also completed a Fellowship in the American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute.
Following this training, Dr. Truhlar began her academic career at the Marquette University School of Dentistry, and then at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, before returning to Long Island to join the faculty of Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine in 1990.
In recognition of her many academic accomplishments, Dr. Truhlar has received many honors. These include being named the 2012 American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) Alpha Omega Foundation /Leonard Abrams Scholar, which recognizes a dental educator who exhibits excellence in teaching and compassion toward others and who upholds exemplary ethical and professional standards; and the 2014 Woman in Dentistry Awardee of the Nassau and Suffolk County Dental Societies.
Editor’s note: Dr. Truhlar lives in Stony Brook.
Reporter Contact:
Gregory Filiano
Stony Brook Medicine Media Relations Manager
631-444-9343
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