School of Dentistry recognizes endowed faculty for fiscal year 2026

With the start of the 2026 fiscal year, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry recognizes the faculty leaders who hold endowed chairs, distinguished professorships, and professorships, reflecting the generosity of donors whose gifts sustain education, clinical excellence, and research.

“These endowments not only honor the legacies of their namesakes and benefactors but also ensure continued innovation in teaching, patient care, and research,” said Dean John A. Valenza, DDS, who himself holds The William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Professorship in the Dental Sciences.

Chairs:

• Fred A. and Dianne F. Garrett Endowed Chair in Orthodontics
  Katie C. Julien, DDS, MS
  Established Sept. 23, 2011
• Dr. Bernard and Gloria P. Katz Chair in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  Mark E. Wong, DDS
  Established Jan. 13, 2014
• Chair in Dental Informatics
  Muhammad F. Walji, MS, PhD
  Established April 6, 2020

Distinguished Professorships:

• The William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Professorship in the Dental Sciences
  John A. Valenza, DDS
  Established April 11, 1985
• Raul G. Caffesse, DDS, MS, Dr. Odont. Distinguished Professorship in Periodontics
  Nikola Angelov, DDS, MS, PhD
  Established Nov. 3, 1995
• John R. Ludington, Jr., DDS, MSD Distinguished Professorship in Endodontics
  Timothy C. Kirkpatrick, DDS
  Established July 15, 2009
• Ralph C. Cooley, DDS Distinguished Professorship in Biomaterials
  Rade Paravina, DDS, MS, PhD
  Established June 10, 2011
• John M. Powers, PhD Distinguished Professorship in Oral Biomaterials
  Joe C. Ontiveros, DDS, MS
  Established March 20, 2013
• Gene C. Stevenson Distinguished Professorship in Dental Education
  Ana C. Candia Solari Neumann, DDS, MPH, PhD
  Established Dec. 18, 2017
• Victoria Q. Cisneros, DDS, MS, Distinguished Professorship in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
  To Be Named
  Established May 20, 2021
• Philip L. Nauert, DDS Distinguished Professorship for Health Promotion
  To Be Named
  Established Sept. 17, 2025

Professorships:

• Frank B. Trice, DDS Professorship in Endodontics
  Timothy C. Kirkpatrick, DDS
  Established July 18, 2011
• Doan-Huynh-Le Endowed Professorship in General Dentistry
  Ben F. Warner, MS, DDS, MD
  Established Jan. 6, 2012
• Dan C. West, DDS Endowed Professorship in Orthodontics
  Audrey L. Moon, DDS, MSD
  Established Jan. 9, 2012
• Nguyen-Thang Family Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  Christopher Daniel, DDS, MD
  Established Sept. 20, 2013
• W. Bonham Magness, DDS Endowed Professorship in Orthodontics
  Grace Huang, DMD, MMSc
  Established March 19, 2014
• Thomas M. Weil Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  Craig Pearl, BDS, MSc (Dent)
  Established Sept. 19, 2014
• Ralph A. Frankson, DDS Professorship in General Practice
  Gary N. Frey, DDS
  Established April 20, 2015
• Catherine M. Flaitz, DDS Professorship in Pediatric Dentistry
  Gregory W. Olson, DDS, MSc
  Established May 6, 2015
• The Romero-Levine Family Professorship
  Donald M. Belles, DDS, MS
  Established Dec. 14, 2015
• Young OMS Research Professorship
  Simon W. Young, DDS, MD, PhD
  Established Feb. 20, 2017
• Raouf Hanna, DDS, MS Professorship in the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene
  Srinivas Ayilavarapu, BDS, DSc, MDS
  Established March 29, 2021
• Yun J. Ahn and Song Ahn, DDS Professorship in Implant Dentistry in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
  To Be Named
  Established Oct. 21, 2011
• Rodney Felipe Beetar, DDS, MS Professorship in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
  To Be Named
  Established Dec. 1, 2021
• Mr. Justin Koh and Dr. Sheila Koh Professorship
  Cleverick Johnson, DDS, MS
  Established Dec. 1, 2021
• Drs. Don and Cindy Le Professorship in Implant Dentistry
  Amy L. Ridall, DDS, PhD
  Established Dec. 29, 2021
• John M. Powers Professorship for Pre- & Postdoctoral Student Research
  Chun-Teh Lee, DDS, MS, DMSc
  Established April 27, 2023
• Rita Cammarata, DDS Professorship in Pediatric Dentistry
  To Be Named
  Established May 8, 2025

Information is based on the list available from the UTHealth Houston Office of Development.