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32 Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | January - February 2014academia tribune For more information contact: Professor Richard Simonsen at rsimonsen@sharjah.ac.ae Contact Information College of Dentistry - Sharjah University welcomes new dean By Dental Tribune Middle East S ARJAH, UAE: Profes- sor Richard J. Simon- sen, DDS, MS, on behalf of Dental Tribune we would like to congratulate you with your new role as the Dean of the College of Dentistry and Executive Director of the Den- tal Hospital at Sharjah Univer- sity in UAE. DTMEA: How did you find your way to the Middle East, through Kuwait, to Sharjah, UAE? Professor Simonsen: Thank you very much for this opportunity. I guess I have always had an adventurous streak in me, and circumstances, like the end of World War II when I was born, meant that as a small boy I lived in two countries; England where I was born; and Norway where my father is from. Then as a teenager I decided that I wanted to study dentistry, and I wanted to do that in the United States. I was very fortunate to get that opportunity through a series of serendipitous events. So having lived and worked in several countries, and hav- ing lectured now in about 35 countries, when the opportu- nity arose to spend the tail-end of a long academic career in the Middle East, where I had never been, I jumped at it. I believe one should always take any opportunity to grow and learn. I wanted to see for myself, rather than rely on the news reports, just what the people and the places of the Middle East are really like. Already I know that this was a very wise decision because I have learned so much about the wonderful people, the places, and the politics of the region. Being in Sharjah at this moment in time, at this mo- ment in my life, surrounded by the bright young minds of our students, is a very special ex- perience for me. I feel so very lucky to be here! How do you experience the Dental College at Sharjah Uni- versity at the moment? I see a young University with inspired leadership, a hard- working and dedicated faculty and staff, and an incredible group of students—you put that all together and it feels like I am sitting on a rocket on the launch pad! Professor Rani Samsudin, who led this Col- lege through the initial start- up years, deserves credit for building what we have here today. A school or college is only as good as the people in it, and around it. I have to note that one very important factor in my decision to accept this position was people-based. I cannot explain how exciting it is for me to have the opportunity to be at a University where the Ruler, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, being such a well-edu- cated man himself with two earned PhD degrees, has education as one of the pillars of his vision for his Emirate. Already the resources put into building Uni- versity City, make this University one of the most impres- sive in the world. I certainly have never seen such an incredible in- frastructure in my life. Now those of us entrusted with guiding the College and the University in the com- ing years must seize on this opportunity to make the pro- gram as good as the beautiful Islamic architecture on display on our campus. What are your plans for the coming year as Dean of the Dental College? I think the College of Dentistry is on the verge of a big leap forward into the next stage of its development, which has to include the introduction of graduate programs into the curriculum and the development of Con- tinuing Education programs run by the University. Bring- ing graduate students into the College, elevates the level of intellectual stimulation for us all. With the introduction of Master’s and eventually PhD degree programs, the College would take a step forward, and the ability of the College to cre- ate new knowledge through research would begin. I also believe that the College should be a vital resource for the prac- ticing dentists of Sharjah and the other Emirates so we plan to set up a Continuing Educa- tion component that will be able to provide many courses given by our faculty that will help our colleagues in prac- tice. As Founding Dean of Mid- western University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale, Arizona, USA how can you take that experience and use it to develop further the Dental College at Sharjah University? In any position one learns from both positive and negative ex- periences. I think some of the ideas on which I founded MU College of Dentistry, such as bringing the educational sys- tem into line with a general practice with a comprehensive care focus, rather than being split into rival departments with separate clinics, was good for patient care and for the student. The students at MU learned that we treat our pa- tients holistically recognizing that we are not just “fixing a tooth” but rendering a service that affects a human being’s overall general health. Oral health is an important part of total systemic health. Also, I put a focus on ethics as a foun- dational subject for all dental students, and I would like to motivate our students to con- tinue doing the right thing. What can you say about the Dental Education in the re- gion? From what I have seen, dental education in the Middle East is on a par with anywhere in the world, it just lacks depth in terms of the numbers of well- trained specialists who can assume top level Professorial roles—but they are just around the corner! As the Dean, what do you feel is most important in predicting success in the dental school? Once again I have to go back to people. With the dedicated core of University leadership from the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to the dental fac- ulty and staff that we have at the University of Sharjah, I predict a bright future. One of my roles as I see it is faculty development. As we grow we will need some additional fac- ulty, but more importantly we need to assure that local talent is stimulated and mentored for the future. What types of students are you looking for? Dedicated, passionate, smart people who want to help oth- ers. Dentistry, after all, is a health profession where the end result is relief from pain; developing and spreading the knowledge to prevent disease; and the reconstruction of the ravages of our two primary diseases, dental caries and periodontal disease. In order to be a good practitioner of dentistry, we need integrity, honesty, empathy and a sense of wanting to help others and doing good things for our com- munity. What advice can you provide your students on bridging the gap between post-graduation and working as a full-time dentist? Well, our students here are faced with a unique situation prior to getting licensed here. It’s very true that a four- or five-year dental education can only do so much, and every graduated student will learn a great deal from additional experience after graduation from dental school, particu- larly from being around addi- tional experienced mentors. So I would advise them to recog- nize that once a dental student, always a student of dentistry. We are in a profession where we continue learning for a life- time, and that makes it very exciting indeed! Based on your own experience how did you proceed after graduating? I found a niche for myself. Recognizing that it is hard to be an expert in every area of general dentistry, I focused on the acid-etch technique, which was a relatively new concept when I graduated from den- tal school. I looked for ways to minimize the loss of tooth structure in preventive and re- storative dentistry. That’s my passion—conservation of tooth structure, and I would encour- age any graduate to find their niche in dentistry, and become as good as you possibly can be in that area, which, as it was in my case, may require addi- tional education in a graduate program. Do you have anything else you would like to share with the readers? I believe that any school lives for its students. If you want to put it in lay terms; the students are the customers of the Uni- versity. We exist for them and we should not go back to the old days when students were regarded as a lower form of life until one day they gradu- ated and became instant col- leagues! Of course young people need guidance, advice and mentoring, but they also need our respect, empathy and just plain kindness at times. I have been amazed at what a remarkable organization of students we have here in the University of Sharjah Dental Students Association! They have a very well-organized group of young people with a mission to do their best. I want them to leave the University of Sharjah with warm feelings for the institution of education so that they too perhaps can one day teach the next genera- tion of colleagues to work for the people of Sharjah and the Emirates as faculty at the Uni- versity of Sharjah College of Dentistry. “The College of Dentistry is on the verge of a big leap forward” “Dentistry, after all, is a health profession where the end result is relief from pain...” “I have been amazed at what a remarkable organi- zation of students we have here in the University of Sharjah Dental Students Association!” Professor Richard Simonsen