UTHSC names new dean to lead College of Dentistry
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry has promoted executive associate dean Ken Tilashalski to lead the college effective July 1.
Tilashalki came to UTHSC in September 2023 after 12 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he served as the associate dean of academic affairs and the alumni-association endowed professor.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Tilashalski will lead our outstanding College of Dentistry into its bright future,” UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley said in a statement.
“A nationwide search identified a stellar leader who not only knows the college and our university but also brings an abundance of national knowledge and experience to the role,” he said.
Tilashalski earned his doctorate in dental medicine from Southern Illinois University. He completed residencies in oral and maxillofacial pathology and endodontics at UAB as well as an American Cancer Society fellowship.
Ken Tilashalski has been tapped to lead the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center effective July 1, 2024. (Courtesy UTHSC)
While at UAB, he held an appointment in the School of Dentistry’s department of restorative sciences and an adjunct appointment in the department of pathology at the Heersink School of Medicine.
Tilashalski will succeed James Ragain who has served as the UTHSC College of Dentistry dean since 2018.
During his tenure, Ragain presided over the opening of the $45 million Delta Dental of Tennessee Building on the Memphis campus and the launch of the $53 million Healthy Smiles Initiative to expand access to dental care statewide.
Ragain, an alumnus of the College of Dentistry, will continue to help direct the Healthy Smiles Initiative when he assumes the title of dean emeritus July 1.
“Dean Ragain has left a fantastic foundation for our future, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with our outstanding faculty and staff, dedicated alumni and statewide partners to do this important work,” Tilashalski said.
Founded in 1878, UTHSC’s College of Dentistry is the third-oldest public college of dentistry in the U.S. It trains 75% of Tennessee’s dentists and most of the dentists in Arkansas.
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UTHSC College of Dentistry Dr. James Ragain Dr. Ken TilashalskiAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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