Dr. Sara C. Gordon will step down from her position as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the School of Dentistry on Dec. 15, after more than a decade in the role. She will retain her appointment as Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine.
Dr. Anna Forsyth, the Director of Dental Education in the Office of Academic Affairs and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, will move into the role of Interim Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. A national search for permanent new leadership will begin in spring.
Dr. Gordon’s career transition was originally planned for the conclusion of the School’s site visit from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in 2023, but when that visit was postponed due to COVID-19, she agreed to stay on until its completion this November. She has led the School’s accreditation team since 2018.
For nearly 40 years, Dr. Gordon has been a clinician, educator and researcher in oral pathology and oral medicine diagnosis and treatment planning. During this time she has worked to widen the scope of dental education, so dentists can provide better overall healthcare for patients and reduce health disparities.
She received her D.D.S. from Dalhousie University (1985) and M.S. in pathology (1996) from the University of Western Ontario, where she also completed a four-year residency in oral and maxillofacial pathology (1997). She first came to the School in 2003 to complete the Summer Institute in Dental Clinical Research.
After practicing as a general dentist in her hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Gordon taught at Dalhousie University (1986-1993), followed by positions teaching general, systemic and oral pathology at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) (1997-2006) and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) (2006-2014). She established UDM’s tobacco dependency program and UIC’s oral pathology biopsy service.
Dr. Gordon returned to the School in 2014 to help transform the curriculum. Within the first two years of her tenure, the revitalization was complete. The competency system was overhauled and the curriculum passed a successful accreditation site visit. Student scores on the national board exam rose to among the highest in the nation, while the School’s world ranking among dental schools climbed to 14th place.
More recently, Dr. Gordon led curricular innovations during the pandemic, which allowed the Class of 2020 to graduate on time, setting a benchmark for other American dental schools. In 2023, she co-chaired the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee with Dr. Douglass Jackson, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Clinical Professor in Oral Health Sciences, resulting in a new mission and vision for the School.
In 2024, Dr. Gordon was awarded the Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors Citation for her “exceptional service to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the dental education community.” Her many distinctions include awards and scholarships recognizing her teaching, research, leadership and writing. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific publications and presented at hundreds of professional events and continuing education courses on every continent except Antarctica.
Dr. Gordon is a diplomate in the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a fellow in oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial pathology in the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. She is also a fellow in dental surgery in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
She is a commissioner of the U.S. Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations and a specialty site visitor in oral and maxillofacial pathology for the Commission on Dental Accreditation. She also serves as a national board examiner in oral medicine and oral pathology for the Royal College of Dentists of Canada.
Dr. Gordon’s participation in organized dentistry is robust. She is a past chair of ADEA’s Academic Affairs/Academic Deans section, Addictions Education section and Oral Pathology section; a past president of the Canadian Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Medicine; and a former councilor of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. She also served in numerous other organized dentistry positions in the United States and Canada.
Dr. Forsyth is a graduate of the School’s Class of 2006. She completed her General Practice Residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After practicing in northern Virginia as a general dentist, she returned to the School to complete her advanced training residency and a master’s degree, both in pediatric dentistry. She later worked in community health dentistry in rural Oregon, providing pediatric dental services and participating in organized and volunteer dentistry.
Her academic career began at Oregon Health & Sciences University in 2014, where she served as interim postdoctoral program director and predoctoral program director in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. She also worked as a staff dentist on the craniofacial team at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Ore.
Dr. Forsyth returned to the School in 2020 as predoctoral program director for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and credentialed at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She is pursuing a master’s degree in education at the UW, emphasis on leadership in higher education, with matriculation slated for early 2025.
Dr. Forsyth is looking forward to engaging with faculty, staff, alumni and students in growing the mission of the School in her interim role.