UCSF School of Dentistry

09/09/2025

Meet Belle Lao-Ngo, UCSF dental student and recipient of the 2025 Founders Day Award for Public Service.

Lao-Ngo has turned her passion for oral health into meaningful action. Inspired by her family’s immigrant journey, she partnered with San Francisco’s Chinatown YMCA to teach families everyday dental care habits that build confidence and improve health.

Her work not only supports the Chinatown community—it also strengthens UCSF’s connection to those we serve, creating opportunities for lasting partnerships in public health.

▶️ Watch Belle Lao-Ngo’s story in our 2025 Founders Day video profile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rr_8B0bGws

✏️ Story by Eric Brooks
📹 Video by Gillian Grisman

Community is everything to Belle Lao-Ngo, a second-year student in the UCSF School of Dentistry. As a daughter and granddaughter of Asian immigrants, Belle’s...

08/26/2025

The University of California is the source of:
🔎 4 inventions per day
🖊️ 70 Nobel laureates
💡 13,810 patents

Behind every breakthrough or cure, University of California ingenuity is driving the economy and helping people live longer, healthier lives.

Stand up for UC: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/get-involved/stand-up-for-uc

08/04/2025

UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood has reappointed Michael Reddy as Dean of the School of Dentistry from February 2025 until February 2030.

The Chancellor's decision was based on the results of a stewardship committee's review. The committee recommended that Dean Reddy's appointment be renewed without restriction.

We spoke with Dean Reddy after his reappointment was announced to discuss the challenges he and his team faced during his time at the school and what he thinks the future holds for patient care, research, and dental education.

Read the interview here > https://tiny.ucsf.edu/ET2hUC

07/30/2025

📣 UCSF Health ranks No. 1 in California and SF and is recognized as one of the nation's best providers of specialty care! 👏

"These rankings are a testament to the contributions of every single person across our organization. Their work is what makes me confident in our continued ability to treat the most challenging conditions, and ensure that such compassionate, effective care is accessible to everyone."

—Suresh Gunasekaran, president and CEO of UCSF Health

U.S. News & World Report ranked UCSF No. 1 in CA & Top 20 in the nation.

07/29/2025

At the UCSF School of Dentistry, dedicated staff like David Gonzalez are essential to the learner experience and help elevate patient care behind the scenes. As the clinic administrative services coordinator, Gonzalez manages clinical schedules, coordinates high-stakes ADEX licensure exams, and supports learners throughout their training.

A third-generation UCSF employee, Gonzalez continues a proud family legacy of service to the university. His work shapes nearly every aspect of the dental student experience—quietly making an extraordinary impact.

Read more about Gonzalez in this profile: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/06/430221/meet-unsung-hero-playing-small-part-dental-students-success

07/24/2025

🗓️ Join us next week on Thursday, July 31 at 12 p.m. PT for a systemwide panel discussion with UCSF School of Dentistry's Jennifer Perkins, DDS, MD, and Jean Marie Star, DDS, MPH, along with Yvonne L Hernandez-Kapila, DDS, PhD, of the UCLA School of Dentistry.

The panelists will discuss how UC’s dental schools are improving health outcomes across California—and why oral health is essential to overall well-being. Learn more about the current educational model for dentistry, innovations in pediatric and special needs care (including autism), and the broader public health implications of dental access.

➡️ Register here: https://tiny.ucsf.edu/7U2qO8

07/22/2025

For 27 years, Ronni Brown, DDS, MPH, provided emergency dental services to thousands of incarcerated individuals. In case after case, a troubling pattern emerged: the devastating oral effects of methamphetamine use. This discovery led her to pursue a dental public health residency at UCSF where her groundbreaking research on what she’d observed became an essential resource.

Brown received the 2025 UCSF Alumni Practitioner Award for her contributions toward improving the health of vulnerable populations worldwide. Read more about her work in this profile: https://alumni.ucsf.edu/stories/ronni-brown.

Illustration: John Jay Cabuay

07/11/2025

From advancing bone regeneration and cancer therapies to tackling dental workforce challenges, the UCSF School of Dentistry Student Research Fellows are contributing to discoveries across science, public health, and patient care.

The projects featured here offer just a sample of the more than two dozen studies this new 2025-26 cohort is leading. Want to learn more? Join us this fall for UCSF School of Dentistry’s annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day!

06/26/2025

🗓️ Join us on Thursday, July 31 at 12 p.m. PT for a systemwide panel discussion with UCSF School of Dentistry's Jennifer Perkins, DDS, MD, and Jean Marie Star, DDS, MPH, along with Yvonne L Hernandez-Kapila, DDS, PhD, of the UCLA School of Dentistry.

The panelists will discuss how UC’s dental schools are improving health outcomes across California—and why oral health is essential to overall well-being. Learn more about the current educational model for dentistry, innovations in pediatric and special needs care (including autism), and the broader public health implications of dental access.

➡️ Register here: https://tiny.ucsf.edu/7U2qO8

06/25/2025

On June 6, 2025, the UCSF School of Dentistry Class of 2025, joined by their families and friends, gathered at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre to celebrate the end of their dental school journey and the beginning of their professional careers.

The 75 graduates will now pursue a range of opportunities—residency, private practice, academia, research, community clinics, and military service.

Though their futures may lead in different directions, Class of 2025 student speaker Shervin Afghani, DDS, reminded his peers: "UCSF brought together people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences and taught us that our differences don't divide us. They make us stronger. We are stepping into the world not just as dentists, but as advocates, leaders, and changemakers."

Big congratulations to the Class of 2025!

02/28/2025

Special shout out to our dental residents on Thank a Resident Day! Your compassion, curiosity and dedication to our patients is remarkable. Thank you for all you do for UCSF and the dental profession!

12/03/2024

Keeping up with alumni ✨ It’s always wonderful to see our UCSF Dentistry graduates reconnect and engage with our current learners, and get an update on their lives. Photos from the DAA Dinner with 12 Strangers, UCSF Around the Bay, and the SPEA X ACD Mentorship Program Mixer.