MEMORANDUM
TO:
Brett Fairbairn, Vice-President & Provost
Pauline Melis, Assistant Provost, Institutional Planning & Analysis
FROM:
Dr. Gerry Uswak, Dean
DATE:
08 February 2010
RE:
Response to College of Dentistry External Review
Firstly, we thank the University for facilitating this review and the recommendations from it and
our January 2011 accreditation site visit provide strategic areas of focus to guide the development
of the College’s next integrated plan. We also thank Drs. Shuler and Sandhu for their
participation as the external reviewers.
This review’s recommendations indicate that while the College continues to graduate competent
dental practitioners it has not met the University’s expectations for research and scholarly
activity. The College agrees with these findings and our change process will begin by focusing
on the following areas:
1. Immediately implementing a communication plan to continuously reinforce the
importance of a research agenda for the College.
2. Ensuring that research will be a central component of the College’s next integrated plan.
3. Finalizing a proposal creating full-time positions for Associate Dean (Research),
Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) and Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) by July 1,
2011.
4. Establishing - with the assistance of the Vice-President, Research – a research facilitator
position to support the College’s research activities by July 1, 2011
5. Establishing a faculty development and mentoring program to enable faculty members –
especially junior faculty - to acquire the skills and support for their research programs.
This program will be incorporated into the College’s next integrated plan with the
assistance of the Vice-President, Research, Special Assistant to the OVPR: Health
Research, and the College of Medicine.
6. Creating a Rural, Urban and Northern (RUN) oral health research group to facilitate
dental public health studies on the oral health status of Saskatchewan population
subgroups facing oral health disparities and access to care barriers, and to develop sound
dental public health policy positions. Draft proposal to be completed by September 1,
2011.
7. In consultation with the Provost’s Office, to create, employ and institute positions for
transformative effect on the College’s faculty complement, which will be described in the
College’s next integrated plan.
8. Establishing a fund within the College’s budget to provide targeted research funding to
support faculty and student research programs by July 1, 2011.
9. Revision of the College’s research-focused courses DENT 210.2 and DENT 410.2 to
better integrate and position them to enable student research projects to culminate in
presentations at scientific meetings and/or publication in peer-reviewed journals by July
1, 2012.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dr. Gerry Uswak,
Dean