King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry, the National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry and Melbourne Dental School are joining forces to advance and transform research, education, and practice in dentistry and the oral and craniofacial health sciences.
The initial five-year partnership, known as the DentAlliance, provides the structure for the creation of an agreement between the four dental schools.
The DentAlliance partners will collaborate globally to transform education and curriculum development, to pursue new and transformative research and discovery initiatives. The four schools each bring their world-leading expertise to the collaboration and will work together to enhance professional practice in dentistry, and the oral and craniofacial health sciences.
They will collaborate to inspire and train future leaders and practitioners of the profession on a global stage. Conceptualised by the four deans of each dental school, the partnership will create new and transformative training, development and exchange opportunities and for students and employees.
Professor Mike Curtis, executive dean of King’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Science, said, “I am delighted that we are joining forces with three other outstanding dental faculties across the globe with highly complementary programmes in research and education. Our experiences over the last year have demonstrated how it is entirely possible to conduct truly meaningful and productive collaboration and teaching in a virtual format and we are therefore really well placed to make rapid progress in achieving the goals of this unique partnership.”
Anusha Chopra, dental student council president, and Nima Kazempour, dental society president, from King’s College London said, “This is a unique opportunity for dental students to collaborate, connect and improve our understanding of field on a global scale. We are excited to compare our experience in patient care, dental education, and careers beyond.”
Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC, principal and president of King’s College London, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this vital academic alliance that brings together four leading dental schools from around the world. As great universities, it is imperative to our missions to bring the very best minds together − to achieve progress and spread knowledge through education, research and service to society.”
Professor Funmi Olonisakin, vice principal and vice president international at King’s College London, said, “This strategic partnership fits very well into both King’s overall Vision 2029 and Internationalisation 2029 strategies, which aim to develop a community of students and staff with global problem-solving mindset, enable structures that support internationalisation at home and establish strong regional strategies and global university alliances to deliver impact.”
Professor Richard Trembath, provost/senior vice president (health), said, “This important collaboration, bringing together our world-leading Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences with the very best global expertise, will undoubtedly enable significant advances to improve health outcomes for us all.”
The alliance was launched through a virtual event on Friday October 23. The event featured presentations from: Professor Jenny Gallagher, dean for international affairs at the King’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC and Professor Funmi Olonisakin. The recording of the launch event can be viewed online here: https://zoom.us/rec/share/xNRLjyZC35fFbDjyWfsbZhnDzoXZhtQz8z_gVxStWfOI7PiKqpRnlEZHcHCnIpU4.8a6KvOj-4iR9PKxA?startTime=1603446914000