The Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs serves as the chief clinical officer of the dental school, providing strategic and operational
leadership for all patient care and clinical education programs and operations. This individual ensures that the school delivers high-quality, ethical, compliant, and patient-centered care while supporting the clinical training of predoctoral and postgraduate students. The Associate Dean oversees clinic operations, faculty calibration, infection control, sterilization, compliance, and the integration of clinical technology systems. Working closely with academic leadership, directors, and staff, the Associate Dean promotes a safe, efficient, and educationally enriching clinical environment aligned with accreditation standards and institutional goals.
Duties & Responsibilities:Clinical Operations Leadership:
- Provide executive oversight of all dental school clinics, including general, specialty, and community-based practice sites.
- Ensure efficient, patient-centered, and financially sustainable clinical operations.
- Provide oversight for clinical teams to coordinate care delivery and optimize workflows.
- Lead strategic planning initiatives for clinic expansion, technology integration, and patient access.
- Lead, liaise, and coordinate the ADEX examination and preparation sessions.
Clinical Education Oversight:
- Collaborate with the academic leadership team to integrate clinical education with didactic and laboratory instruction.
- Support faculty and program directors in delivering competency-based education aligned with CODA standards.
- Oversee student and resident clinical progression, assessment, and remediation processes.
- Promote evidence-based clinical teaching and support faculty calibration and development initiatives.
Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management:
- Ensure compliance with all relevant local, state, and federal laws governing healthcare delivery, including HIPAA, OSHA, CDC, and infection control regulations.
- Maintain and enforce clinical policies and procedures consistent with professional standards and institutional guidelines.
- Oversee clinic credentialing, quality assurance, incident reporting, and patient safety programs.
- Serve as the liaison to institutional legal, compliance, and risk management offices on clinical matters.
Patient Care Quality and Experience:
- Champion a culture of collegiality, trust, respect, and excellence in patient care, ethics, and professionalism.
- Monitor and improve metrics for patient satisfaction, service delivery, and access to care.
- Establish and implement systems for patient feedback, complaint resolution, and service recovery.
- Promote interdisciplinary and interprofessional care models that improve health outcomes.
Faculty and Staff Management:
- Support recruitment, credentialing, onboarding, and performance evaluation of clinical faculty and staff.
- Foster faculty development programs related to clinical supervision, assessment, and professionalism.
- Collaborate with department chairs to ensure appropriate clinical coverage and faculty workload distribution.
- Build and mentor a culture of collaboration, trust, and effective communication
Financial Resource Management
- Work with finance and business operations to develop and manage clinic budgets, billing systems, and revenue cycle performance.
- Monitor productivity, provider utilization, and resource allocation to support financial sustainability.
- Oversee procurement and maintenance of clinical equipment, supplies, and facilities.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Education & Experience:- DMD, DDS, BDS, PhD, EdD, or equivalent doctoral degree, required.
- Additional Preferred: Advanced academic degree (e.g., M.Ed., MPH, PhD, or MBA)
- Greater than 9 years of experience.
- Demonstrated knowledge of CODA standards, clinical education, and patient care delivery in academic settings.
- Curriculum management. Competency-based education and assessment. Modern pedagogical concepts and their application in health professions education
- Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
- Analytical & Critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, empathy
ATSU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverages, among more. If eligible, employee-elected benefits would begin the first of the month following hire date. For more information, please visit: atsu.edu/employment/benefits .
