Clinical Dean's Report

Times of change (abridged)

Gordon Gray, Dental Clinical Dean

The past year has been a busy one in many respects. I have never known such a busy calendar with regard to reunion tours. It is always a pleasure to meet new people from years I have taught or those who escaped long before I arrived. Their stories about the miscreant deeds they got up to and the scary staff from the past are always a delight to hear. I think past graduates are eager to see the new facilities and the excellent working environment in

which today's undergraduates study. Many have commented that the clinical bays are superior to those in their practices and how sure they are that graduates will be disappointed in their VT surgeries!

Two members of staff have retired: Tony Telford worked in the dental laboratories in the Dental School for over thirty years. Many of you may remember him as a teacher of dental technology before he took over the post as Head of Laboratory Services. His health had been suffering for a few years so we wish him well for a long and happy retirement. Theresa Munns who shared her retirement lunch with Tony last July. Theresa was very much my right-hand person. She ran the Dean's Office with great efficiency and was a fund of knowledge for students and staff alike. She hopes to spend more time on the golf course and having long holidays in her new apartment in Bulgaria. Geraldine Vines, who worked in the Dean's Office with Theresa, has taken over many of her duties as well as being the contact for dental undergraduate admissions.

The Research and Development Group at the University of Bristol was given the task of streamlining the number of research groups within the University. One of the casualties was Oral Medicine's Experimental Pathology group which had attained an international reputation for its work on the pathogenesis of oral cancer . The closure of this group has seen the loss of Dr Ian Paterson and Dr Jason Mansell. Dr Maria Davies and Dr Angela Hague have been redeployed within the School and will continue in their roles. Professor Stephen Prime will continue as the lead for Oral Medicine but has decided to reduce his commitment and work part-time for the next three years before his final retirement.

It has not all been doom and gloom however, as we congratulate Dr Nicola West and Dr Steve Thomas who successfully competed for the Chairs in Periodontology and Oral and Maxillofacial surgery respectively. Dr Nicola Kilpatrick is soon to join the staff as Professor of Paediatric Dentistry. She is a British graduate who is currently working at the University of Melbourne in Australia where she is an Associate Professor. We have also welcomed back two former students who return as Academic Teaching Fellows: Jennifer Howarth and Holly Cole Hawkins who graduated in July 2008.

In a further welcome move to improve our staff-student ratio there have (at last) been some new posts advertised in Restorative Dentistry, Oral Medicine and Paediatric Dentistry. The University of Bristol is currently facing challenges with its financial position but the above posts have been scrutinised carefully at all levels up to and including the Vice Chancellor. The expansion in student numbers is now complete and we have five years of approximately 75 students each who are being accommodated in-house until the outreach facility in South Bristol opens. This is now anticipated to be in April 2012.

As we go to print I have just learned that the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is to be re-organised from five departments into three schools. This will have minimum impact for us as we will become the School of Oral and Dental Science – the only downside will be the abbreviation of SODS, which may be hard to live with!

We had some good news earlier in the year with the National Student Survey that is completed by MORI for all university students in their final year. Our dental students rated Bristol Dental School to be the top dental school in the UK in almost all categories, and our department to be the top department in the University of Bristol. This is no mean feat and is due to the hard work by a somewhat depleted staff. We need to sing this news from the roof tops and ensure that it is incorporated into the academic league tables.

Once again I will look forward to writing a report for the alumni next year and hope to have some more good news to impart.

		Times of change (abridged) Gordon Gray, Dental Clinical Dean The past year has been a busy one in many respects. I have never known such a busy calendar with regard to reunion tours. It is always a pleasure to meet new people from years I have taught or those who escaped long before I arrived. Their stories about the miscreant deeds they got up to and the scary staff from the past are always a delight to hear. I think past graduates are eager to see the new facilities and the excellent working environment in which today's undergraduates study. Many have commented that the clinical bays are superior to those in their practices and how sure they are that graduates will be disappointed in their VT surgeries! Two members of staff have retired: Tony Telford worked in the dental laboratories in the Dental School for over thirty years. Many of you may remember him as a teacher of dental technology before he took over the post as Head of Laboratory Services. His health had been suffering for a few years so we wish him well for a long and happy retirement. Theresa Munns who shared her retirement lunch with Tony last July. Theresa was very much my right-hand person. She ran the Dean's Office with great efficiency and was a fund of knowledge for students and staff alike. She hopes to spend more time on the golf course and having long holidays in her new apartment in Bulgaria. Geraldine Vines, who worked in the Dean's Office with Theresa, has taken over many of her duties as well as being the contact for dental undergraduate admissions. The Research and Development Group at the University of Bristol was given the task of streamlining the number of research groups within the University. One of the casualties was Oral Medicine's Experimental Pathology group which had attained an international reputation for its work on the pathogenesis of oral cancer . The closure of this group has seen the loss of Dr Ian Paterson and Dr Jason Mansell. Dr Maria Davies and Dr Angela Hague have been redeployed within the School and will continue in their roles. Professor Stephen Prime will continue as the lead for Oral Medicine but has decided to reduce his commitment and work part-time for the next three years before his final retirement. It has not all been doom and gloom however, as we congratulate Dr Nicola West and Dr Steve Thomas who successfully competed for the Chairs in Periodontology and Oral and Maxillofacial surgery respectively. Dr Nicola Kilpatrick is soon to join the staff as Professor of Paediatric Dentistry. She is a British graduate who is currently working at the University of Melbourne in Australia where she is an Associate Professor. We have also welcomed back two former students who return as Academic Teaching Fellows: Jennifer Howarth and Holly Cole Hawkins who graduated in July 2008. In a further welcome move to improve our staff-student ratio there have (at last) been some new posts advertised in Restorative Dentistry, Oral Medicine and Paediatric Dentistry. The University of Bristol is currently facing challenges with its financial position but the above posts have been scrutinised carefully at all levels up to and including the Vice Chancellor. The expansion in student numbers is now complete and we have five years of approximately 75 students each who are being accommodated in-house until the outreach facility in South Bristol opens. This is now anticipated to be in April 2012. As we go to print I have just learned that the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is to be re-organised from five departments into three schools. This will have minimum impact for us as we will become the School of Oral and Dental Science – the only downside will be the abbreviation of SODS, which may be hard to live with! We had some good news earlier in the year with the National Student Survey that is completed by MORI for all university students in their final year. Our dental students rated Bristol Dental School to be the top dental school in the UK in almost all categories, and our department to be the top department in the University of Bristol. This is no mean feat and is due to the hard work by a somewhat depleted staff. We need to sing this news from the roof tops and ensure that it is incorporated into the academic league tables. Once again I will look forward to writing a report for the alumni next year and hope to have some more good news to impart.

	Clinical Dean's Report