In what is the University's third major administrative announcement this year, Penn has named a new Dean of Dental Medicine. Mark Wolff, a professor and the chair of cariology and comprehensive care at the College of Dentistry at New York University, has been selected to take on the role after a six-month long global search.
Wolff, who has worked at NYU since 2005, will assume his role on July 1, Penn Today reported.
He will take over Interim Dean Dana Graves who was appointed after former Dean Denis F. Kinane ended his term early in 2017. Kinane was reappointed to serve as dean until June 30, 2021, but announced last summer that he would be stepping down at the end of 2017.
At NYU, Wolff established "the world’s largest electronic dental-health record and fully digital imaging system," wrote Penn Today. He also expanded professional opportunities for dental students and launched projects that incorporated community service into part of the educational program.
"Among Mark’s many successes, he has demonstrated the many ways in which integrating patient care, educational experiences, and research programs advance core strategic goals, strengthen faculty and student culture, and better link the mission of dental schools with local and global partners and communities," said Provost Wendell Pritchett to Penn Today.
Within the span of three months, Penn has seen a series of major announcements to do with high-level administrative personnel. Penn Dental is only one of three schools that will welcome new deans next semester.
In early February, Penn announced that John L. Jackson, Jr. of Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice would be named the new Dean for the Annenberg School for Communication. Less than three weeks later, President Amy Gutmann and Pritchett named Tufts University professor Andrew Hoffman as the new Dean for Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine.
Later in March, it was also announced that Counseling and Psychological Services Director Bill Alexander and Career Services Director Pat Rose would both be retiring this August. The search for candidates to replace Alexander and Rose — both longtime Penn administrators — is still ongoing.
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