The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted to appoint two chairs and three professors to endowed positions during its November 2023 meeting. Those honored are Chin-Chuan Fu, Nicolaas Geurs, Gregg H. Gilbert, Daniel Allen Givan, and Kathlyn K. Powell. Their accomplishments will be recognized along with that of Anthony Morlandt, who also received an endowed professorship in 2023, during the school’s EXCEL program on March 20.

Chin-Chuan Fu, D.D.S., M.S., is the second holder of the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting Endowed Professorship in Comprehensive Dentistry. The professorship was established in 2012 and was initially held by Dr. Perng-Ru Liu.

Fu is an associate professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences whose leadership includes interim director of the Comprehensive Care Clinic, director of the Division of Prosthodontics, and associate chair of the Department of Restorative Sciences. She was named Restorative Sciences chair in 2023.

A Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Fu is a dedicated instructor who demonstrates high standards of excellence. Her passion and expertise benefit students at all levels, as she teaches in both didactic and clinical courses throughout the 4-year dental curriculum and in the residency programs. Her research interests include dental implants, dental materials with special focus in dental ceramics and dental cements, oral microbiology, CAD/CAM dental prostheses, and dental education.

Among her honors, Fu received the 2023 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and is a 2022 graduate of the UAB Health Care Leadership Academy.

Nicolaas Geurs, D.D.S., M.S., is the second holder of the Dental Alumni-Joseph F. Volker Chair of Clinical Dentistry, which was established in 1982 and named for Dr. Volker, a clinician-scientist who went on to become the school’s first dean, first president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and first chancellor of the University of Alabama System.

Geurs is a professor who has served as both pre-and post-doctoral program director in Periodontics and chair of the Department of Periodontology. Also the first holder of the Weatherford/Palcanis Endowed Professorship, he is currently the school’s interim dean.

Considered a master clinician, he was recognized as the master of the masters by his peers. He is a champion of excellence in education and patient-centered care, has made significant contributions to his field, and is nationally- and internationally recognized as an expert in periodontology.

A senior scientist in multiple UAB research centers, Geurs has played a vital role in advancing implant science, osseointegration, novel bone augmentation systems, and periodontal disorders, including the understanding of their cellular, molecular, and genetic basis. He has significantly impacted the personalized approach to periodontal therapy; and he has led the nation’s first dental implant registry of practitioners in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

Geurs was selected for the 2016 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Dentistry, was named an ADEA Leadership Institute Fellow (2017-2018) and received the AAP R. Earl Robinson Periodontal Regeneration Award in 2017.

Distinguished Professor Gregg H. Gilbert, D.D.S., M.B.A., F.A.A.H.D., F.A.C.D., F.I.C.D., is the third holder of the James R. Rosen Chair of Dental Research, which was established in 1990.

In his 24 years at UAB, Gilbert has served in numerous leadership roles including Associate Dean for Research and Chair of the Department of Clinical and Community Sciences.

Internationally recognized for his well-funded activities in clinical and community-based research, including the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN), Gilbert has been funded continuously as a Principal Investigator by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1991. He is the National Network Director of the National Dental PBRN.

He is a senior scientist in multiple UAB research centers, and has more than 275 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, with more than 6,000 citations. He has extensively mentored young dentists and clinical scientists from across the nation.

Gilbert has served in leadership of many national and international associations, including numerous NIH Special Emphasis Panels, the Science Information Committee of the IADR, the Government Affairs Committee of the AADOCR, the AADR Research Nominating Committee, and the NIH-NIDCR Healthcare Delivery and Methodologies Integrated Review Group.

A Fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists, Gilbert has received many awards and honors including the Distinguished Scientist Award, International Association for Dental Research, The Giddon Award for Distinguished Research in the Behavioral Sciences, The William J. Gies Award given by the ADEA-Gies Foundation, and the 2019 UAB Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award. Most recently, he received the Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award, given jointly by the American Dental Association and the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research to honor educators who have made significant contributions to implement and advance evidence-based dentistry in research, practice, and the classroom.

Daniel Allen Givan, D.M.D., Ph.D. is the third holder of The University of Alabama School of Dentistry Alumni Association Endowed Professorship. The professorship was established in 2015 through a gift from The University of Alabama School of Dentistry Alumni Association.

Givan, a Professor and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, joined the UAB faculty in 1998. His leadership includes Assistant Director of Graduate Prosthodontics (2004-2019), Associate Chair of Restorative Sciences (2012-2019), Director of the Division of Prosthodontics (2012-2020), and Interim Chair of the  Department of Restorative Sciences (2020-2022). He is currently Director of Digital Dentistry and Clinical Laboratory Services and Director of Prosthodontic Graduate Implantology.

Known for clinical teaching and mentoring of dental students, residents, and fellows with a strong emphasis on evidence-based clinical outcomes, Givan has significantly enriched the identity of UAB Prosthodontics nationally through his research and service.

A 2020-21 Fellow of the ADEA Leadership Institute, he has been the recipient of various awards including the 2013 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching  and the 2022 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Support of UAB and Shared Governance.

Kathlyn K. Powell, D.M.D., M.D., associate professor and director of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program, is the second holder of the Dr. Thomas W. Jones Endowed Professorship in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. The professorship was established in 2012.

A Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, she is a full-time academic pediatric oral surgeon and serves as the director of the Oral Surgery Pediatric Clinic at Children’s of Alabama.

Powell has authored several peer-reviewed scientific articles and textbook chapters on oral and maxillofacial surgery. Her research interests include oral surgery, craniofacial and cleft lip/palate surgery, benign pediatric oral and maxillofacial pathology, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and TMJ, orthognathic surgery, obstructive sleep apnea, impacted teeth, and dental implants.

She is a champion of educating and training future dental students.