Meharry Medical College Announces New Dean, School of Dentistry

(Nashville, Tenn.) – (January 10, 2011) – President and CEO of Meharry Medical College, Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MPH, MBA, MACP has announced that Janet H. Southerland, D.D.S., Ph.D., has been named Dean of the School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College. Dr. Southerland, currently, the chairperson of the Department of Hospital Dentistry and chief of the oral medicine service at University of North Carolina School (UNC) of Dentistry and Hospitals and Clinics,  will begin her new appointment at Meharry on March 1. 

 “We had an impressive, diverse and exceptionally qualified applicant pool,” said Dr. Riley.

“Dr. Southerland’s outstanding academic achievements, impressive work in dental services and dental education, superb interpersonal skills, and leadership acumen impressed the search committee. She received my enthusiastic nomination and received the unanimous confirmation by our Board of Trustees to assume the deanship of our School of Dentistry.   She will serve Meharry, our dental students and the local and national community with distinction and lead our dental education program to new heights.”

“This is the most exciting thing that I could ever have imagined . . . the opportunity to do something like this,” Dr. Southerland said. “I was attracted to Meharry Medical College because of the strong tradition of the School of Dentistry.  This is an opportunity for me to bring new vision and new energy and build upon a solid foundation.” 

In her new role, Dr. Southerland will serve as the School of Dentistry’s chief administrative and academic officer responsible for developing academic programs, maintaining the quality of the dental curriculum, recruiting faculty and developing dental research programs.  She will also serve as a tenured Professor in the school and serve as one of the nine members of Meharry’s executive management team.

Dr. Southerland received her D.D.S. at the UNC School of Dentistry in 1989, has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene and a B.A. in Zoology, both earned at UNC. She also completed a master’s of public health (MPH) degree from the UNC School of Public Health and a Ph.D. in Oral Biology from the UNC School of Dentistry.

Her research interests involve the study of the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease and early detection and interventions for oral cancer.

“Dr. Janet Southerland is a highly trained, nationally known and clear thinking dental educator who is at home as a team-player, but who has risen to assume key leadership positions in hospital dentistry and oral medicine,” said John W. Stamm, D.D.S., Interim Dean & Alumni Distinguished Professor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.  “Janet has a broad background in academic dentistry and has mastered the art of remaining calm and organized when demands on her increase. These qualities, and more, will enable Dr. Southerland to serve, with skill and dedication, as Meharry’s next Dean of Dentistry.”