Announcing an interim dean for the College of Dentistry

Dear students, faculty and staff,

I am writing to announce that Susan A. Rowan, DDS, MS, FACD, FICD, has agreed to serve as the interim dean of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry effective April 1, pending approval of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Dr. Rowan’s significant experience as an academic and clinical leader and her longstanding commitment to both the college and the UIC community make her an outstanding individual to lead during this time of transition.

Dr. Rowan currently serves as executive associate dean and associate dean for clinical affairs at the College of Dentistry. In her executive leadership roles, Dr. Rowan provides administrative oversight for all clinical services of the college. These responsibilities include administering the college’s pre-doctoral, postgraduate, community outreach and faculty practice clinical operations, with oversight of pre-clinical and clinical education courses and programs. She further oversees patient admissions and emergency clinics; clinic instrument sterilization and dispensary; clinic information management systems; and the college’s patient care quality assurance program. Additionally, she has oversight of the physical facilities of the college, including a $22 million infrastructure project completed in 2019.

As an educator, Dr. Rowan contributes to dental student learning through monitoring and coordination of the student clinical experience in the Group Practice Clinic and across its community-based partnership sites. She additionally coordinates all faculty evaluations, documentations and convenes faculty on a regular basis to evaluate student progress and identify any learning deficiencies. Her guidance in this arena evaluates the readiness of students for progress to subsequent semesters, external rotations and, ultimately, preparation for graduation.

Dr. Rowan is a proud UIC graduate, receiving her BS and DDS from the UIC College of Dentistry and an MS in Patient Safety Leadership from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Additionally, she has completed a teaching fellowship with the College of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education and a Leadership Fellowship with the American Dental Education Association. Dr. Rowan also participates in grant-funded research studies about dentist prescribing patterns in the U.S.

I am confident that Dr. Rowan has the experience and knowledge to lead the college during this transition. Please join me on congratulating Dr. Rowan on this interim dean appointment.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Barish, MD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Margaret Moser
mlmoser@uic.edu
mwesbech@uic.edu