Spears named 2025 Shine Academy inductee

Professor Robert D. Spears, PhD, MS, associate dean for student and academic affairs at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry has been inducted into the 2025 class of The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education.

Spears came to UTHealth Houston in 2015 after serving as the director of curriculum, director of student research, and professor in the department of Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry in Dallas.

In his current role as associate dean, Spears oversees educational programs for dental hygiene, dental, and advanced education programs. His major roles also include oversight of curriculum management and assessment, admissions, and daily student life issues. Within UTHealth Houston, he is actively involved in interprofessional education and student wellness.

Spears was a recipient of The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2023. He was also honored with the John H. Freeman Award for Faculty Teaching from UTHealth Houston, and he was the Dental Teacher of the Year three times while at Texas A&M College of Dentistry. Spears is a fellow of the Harvard Macy Institute’s Program for Educators in Health Professions, a Commission on Dental Accreditation site reviewer, and a member of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.

“Dr. Spears is a valued faculty member and citizen of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry who has not only shown excellence as a teacher but has greatly influenced the curriculum of the School of Dentistry,” said John Valenza, DDS, dean and The William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Professor in the Dental Sciences at the School of Dentistry.

“Dr. Spears’ educational leadership, excellent teaching record, innovation, outstanding contributions to the development of the School of Dentistry’s curriculum, and his advocacy for and mentorship of students across many disciplines and levels indicates that he is well qualified and deserving to be inducted into The University of Texas System Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education.”

Spears has served in several roles with the American Dental Education Association, from which he received a presidential citation. He has also been active with the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and was recognized as the National Student Research Group Mentor of the Year.

Spears is the primary investigator for the UTHealth Houston Summer Health Professions Education Program, a national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Spears was one of four outstanding UTHealth Houston faculty inducted into the Shine Academy for their teaching excellence and commitment to enhancing health science education. He was joined by Chase Findley, MD, with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston; Christine Markham, PhD, with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health; and José-Miguel Yamal, PhD, with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

The University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education was founded in 2005 and was renamed in honor of former UT System executive vice chancellor for Health Affairs Kenneth I. Shine, MD, when he retired. Members of the Shine Academy are recognized as outstanding scholars and leaders in education from across all UT System’s health-related institutions.

The Shine Academy fosters excellence in education in the health sciences with recognition of outstanding educators and advancement of knowledge and innovation in the field of education.