School of Dentistry Appoints New Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion

John D.B. Featherstone, PhD, dean of the UCSF School of Dentistry, is pleased to announce the appointment of George Taylor, DMD, MPH, DrPH, to the new position of Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. His appointment is effective July 1.

“I am be thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in a capacity that focuses on establishing the School of Dentistry’s culture and climate as a model for diversity and inclusion, one that will speak to every existing or potential member of our student body, faculty, staff and patients as well as our multiple external stakeholders and audiences,” Taylor said.

He will be directly responsible to the dean for the oversight of activities related to diversity and inclusion in the School of Dentistry and by its faculty, staff and students. He will work with the other associate deans, the department chairs and others to build and strengthen the school’s activities in this area.

“I am so excited about this new position and especially having Dr. Taylor filling this role,” Featherstone said. “I am totally committed to diversity and inclusion, and I look forward to what we can achieve in the future."

Taylor served as chair of the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and Leland A. and Gladys K. Barber Distinguished Professor in Dentistry at the UCSF School of Dentistry from September 2011 to May 2015. Prior to UCSF he was a professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He received his DMD degree from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and his MPH and DrPH from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Taylor’s research focuses on relationships between oral and systemic health, particularly periodontal infection and diabetes outcomes, using observational epidemiological and clinical trial research designs, as well as health services research and secondary analysis of complex survey data. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, philanthropic foundations and industry.

Taylor currently is a member of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Board of Scientific Counselors. He is a past president of the American Board of Dental Public Health, and has also served on the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Dental Association. He actively mentors students and other faculty in their research and careers.

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