Julien named orthodontics chair, program director

Katie Julien, DDS, MS, has been named the new chair and program director for the Department of Orthodontics, Dean John A. Valenza, DDS, announced July 11.

She will officially join the UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry faculty as a professor on Oct. 1.

“Being named chair and program director for the Department of Orthodontics is an amazing honor,” said Julien. “I will be joining the giants of our profession who work to shape the profession and train the next generation of talented practitioners.”

Julien is a board-certified orthodontist who makes her way back south to Texas from Alaska.

An Alaskan native, she received her dental assisting certificate from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Julien earned her bachelor’s in biology from The University of Texas at Arlington. She completed her DDS degree, orthodontic residency, and master’s degree in oral biology from Baylor College of Dentistry (now Texas A&M School of Dentistry) in Dallas.

Since graduating from her orthodontics residency, Julien has had private practices in Anchorage, Alaska, and McKinney, Texas.

She became a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics in 1994.

Julien notes the “bite-sized” impact orthodontics can have on patients.

“Orthodontics is rewarding in many ways. It’s rewarding to see the transformation of smiles and how that often changes our patients’ lives. We interact with young people at a very transformational age. We can help build their self-confidence and self-worth by caring for them not only orthodontically, but as unique individuals who deserve to feel that they are special,” she said.

From 2011-19, Julien was an associate professor and the clinical director for the Advanced Education in Orthodontics Program at Texas A&M School of Dentistry in Dallas.

Since 2019, she has served as an orthodontist and orthodontic department manager for the Southeast Regional Health Consortium in Alaska.

Julien succeeds Professor Gregory W. Olson, DDS, MSc, and Associate Professor Audrey L. Moon, DDS, MSD, who have served as the interim chair and interim program director, respectively, since June 17, 2023, following the many years of distinguished service by Chair Emeritus Jeryl D. English, DDS, MS.