High Point University (HPU) in North Carolina will open its School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health, which will be the only dental school at a private university in the state, with its first class in the fall of 2023.
Pending SACSCOC and Commission on Dental Accreditation approval, the school will bring 180 new students to campus. It will be the tenth academic school at HPU and the seventh established since Dr. Nido Qubein became president of the university.
Dr. Scott De Rossi will serve as the dean of the school. He recently served as a professor and as dean at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry. With a $150 million investment, HPU will build a new facility to house the school.
This new project, along with the planned opening of the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena, Conference Center, and Hotel, will lead to 300 new jobs in High Point and the Triad, according to the university.
“High Point University’s healthcare programs have seen tremendous success, achieved academic prestige, and produced graduates who are filling crucial healthcare positions,” said Qubein.
“As HPU’s transformational growth plan continues, the university has continued to pursue additional healthcare programs. Establishing the state’s only private school of dental medicine and oral health reflects HPU’s commitment and innovative approach to healthcare education,” he continued.
“High Point University’s innovative culture and the thriving community of healthcare programs are the talk of higher education,” said De Rossi.
“Being a founding dean is a unique privilege, and helping to start and grow a school of dental medicine is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The distinction of doing it at a place like HPU under the leadership of president Qubein and his leadership team is a dream come true,” he said.
“Dental education is experiential education. As our students are learning in the Triad, they will be caring for people in the Triad. HPU’s School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health will provide incredible opportunities and partnerships for local dentists,” said De Rossi.
“They’ll be invited to participate in the educational process by speaking to or engaging with students, and they can utilize the talent of those students by providing experiential learning opportunities in their offices,” said De Rossi.
De Rossi holds a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and completed his postdoctoral training in oral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. He also holds an MBA from Augusta University’s Hull College of Business.
Previously, De Rossi also was professor of oral medicine, director of the Clinical Center for Oral Medicine, and chairman of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences at the Augusta University Dental College of Georgia (DCG). De Rossi additionally is:
- The 2011 recipient of the International Association of Dental Research Innovation in Oral Care Award
- A 2012-2013 fellow in the American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute
- A 2014 recipient of the Judson C. Hickey Excellence in Teaching Award at the DCG
- The 2017 winner of the Herschfus Award from the American Academy of Oral Medicine
- A 1999 diplomate of the American Board of Oral Medicine
De Rossi also is actively involved in the American Academy of Oral Medicine and maintains memberships in the ADA, American Dental Education Association, and International and American Associations of Dental Research.
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