The University of Rochester will establish an Eastman School of Dentistry on Jan. 1, 2027, creating its first new school in more than 50 years. The move builds on its existing dental education, research and patient-care programs rather than opening an entirely new clinical operation, according to the university's announcement.
The Eastman Institute for Oral Health will be part of the new school. At the same time, the university's School of Medicine & Dentistry will be renamed the School of Medicine. Both name changes take effect Jan. 1, the university said.
Eli Eliav, who has led the Eastman Institute since 2013, will become the dentistry school's inaugural dean. The university traces its dental work to the Eastman Dental Dispensary, established in 1917.
A proposed dental degree
The new school plans to offer a Doctor of Dental Medicine program, but that degree remains subject to approval by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and New York State. It would complement the Eastman Institute's 10 existing postgraduate dental specialty programs.
The university did not announce a first class size or an application timetable for the proposed degree. Its announcement described the new school as a way to bring dental education and research more closely into its academic medical system.
University of Rochester Medical Center CEO David Linehan said the structure could connect dentistry with medicine, nursing and other health sciences through education, research and patient care. University President Sarah Mangelsdorf said it would build on the institute's existing work.
University officials cited shortages of dentists, barriers to care and the more complex dental needs of patients living longer with chronic disease or cancer as reasons for the change. Those are the university's stated motivations; the announcement did not quantify a local shortage or promise that the new school will expand appointment capacity.
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