The chair is responsible for leading the department faculty members in support of the DDS program (didactic, preclinical, and clinical); advancing an outstanding graduate program in Prosthodontics; participating in PhD programs; fostering access to cutting-edge resources to enable high-quality, rigorous scholarship for faculty and trainees; and implementing strategic plans to strengthen academic and clinical missions through recruitment and community building. Current research foci include bone biology, computational biology, craniofacial development and disease, materials science, microbiology and immunology, neurobiology, organ development, pain research, stem cell biology, salivary gland biology, tissue engineering, and clinical research.