Michael S. Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., an internationally respected specialist in periodontics, has been named dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. His appointment is effective March 15, 2012. Reddy has served as interim dean of the school since June 2011.
“After a thorough national search that resulted in a number of excellent candidates, the search committee’s preferred candidate came from within UAB,” says UAB interim Provost Linda Lucas, Ph.D.
Reddy was chair of the UAB Department of Periodontology from 2004 to 2011 and is the former assistant dean for Planning and Clinical Activity. He also is a senior scientist in multiple UAB research centers, including the centers for Metabolic Bone Disease and Aging.
“We are fortunate to have a highly respected dental scholar, educator and clinician on our own campus,” Lucas says.
“Michael Reddy is as passionate about educating dental clinicians as he is about building a nationally ranked research program and growing a patient-centered clinical practice. The search committee could not have made a better choice for a superior leader to guide the school into the future.”
“I am humbled and honored to be named the dean of the UAB School of Dentistry,” Reddy says. “I am overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from the alumni, faculty, staff, students and the UAB community, and I’m excited about the opportunities to build on the collaborations and synergies that make UAB and the School of Dentistry strong.”
Reddy is the eighth dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, which ranks 15th in funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, of the National Institutes of Health.
“Michael Reddy was an outstanding interim dean, gaining praise equally from faculty, students and alumni,” Lucas says. “A search committee comprising dental faculty, students, alumni and campus leaders conducted an extensive national search. We’re all delighted that Michael Reddy will be the new dean. The future of the School of Dentistry is indeed bright.”
“Alumni are very excited about the selection of Michael Reddy as dean of the UAB School of Dentistry,” says search committee member and School of Dentistry alum Lew Mitchell, D.D.S. “The alumni know unequivocally that Dr. Reddy, who has given 22 years to the School of Dentistry and to the City of Birmingham, is a gifted clinician, educator, administrator and researcher. The alumni especially appreciate his commitment to clinical excellence and his vision for graduating the best possible dentists to serve the citizens of Alabama.”
Reddy says when he came to UAB in 1989 he was impressed with its enterprising approach to inter-professional research within centers, and he intends to encourage and expand that.
“The UAB School of Dentistry engineered the concept of ergonomics in practice, in which dentists sit and work with an assistant — four-handed dentistry was born here. Now our ingenuity in practice-based research, dental-materials research and dental implants is fundamentally changing the way people practice dentistry,” Reddy says. “We want to continue to set the standard for excellence in oral health care.”
Reddy earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford in 1981 and is a 1986 graduate of Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He received his periodontics certificate and doctor of medical science degrees from Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1989. His research has focused on interrelationships between oral infections and overall health and regenerative medicine approaches in the oral cavity.
Reddy has had continuous NIH funding for the past 20 years and has been awarded more than 40 grants as an investigator or co-investigator. He is an internationally recognized master clinician in the area of periodontal therapy and dental implants, and he is an examiner for the American Board of Periodontology. He also has served as a member or committee chair of several national and international associations and societies, including the Joint Commission on Dental Accreditation. He is a recipient of Clinical Research Award from the American Academy of Periodontology.