Cataldo Leone, Periodontal Disease Researcher and Interim Dean of the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Is Named Permanent Dean
Interim dean “an ideal fit” for his “deep knowledge, national reputation, gift for mentoring”
Cataldo Leone has been appointed dean of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine after serving as interim dean for the past eight months. He becomes only the fourth leader of the 60-year-old school. Photo courtesy of Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Cataldo Leone Named Dean of the Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Interim dean “an ideal fit” for his “deep knowledge, national reputation, gift for mentoring”
Cataldo Leone, a periodontal disease expert who has been interim dean of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine for the past eight months, has been named the school’s permanent leader, effective November 30.
Leone is just the fourth dean in the school’s six-decade history.
“Dr. Leone has garnered enormous respect as an administrator, teacher, researcher, and faculty colleague,” Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer, said Tuesday in announcing the appointment. “It was readily apparent that his deep knowledge about the Goldman School and its culture, strong national reputation for basic, clinical, and educational research, and gift for mentoring and building on the successes of students, faculty, and staff make him an ideal fit for this role.”
“I am both excited and humbled by the privilege of serving as the next dean, building upon the successes of the school’s previous deans,” Leone says, referencing Henry Goldman, Spencer Frankl, and Jeffrey Hutter. “Our immediate next step will be to develop a new strategic plan that will guide our educational, research, clinical care, and service mission through this decade and into the next. I very much look forward to working with the entire SDM community in achieving our mutual goals.”
Earlier this year, Leone presided over the completion of the three-year, $115 million renovation of the school’s 100 East Newton Street building on the Medical Campus. The school offers state-of-the-art education and care, including digital dentistry, technology-enhanced treatment that cuts the number of patients’ required dental visits and time in the chair.
It was readily apparent that his deep knowledge about the Goldman School and its culture, strong national reputation for basic, clinical, and educational research, and gift for mentoring and building on the successes of students, faculty, and staff make him an ideal fit for this role.
Leone joined the SDM faculty in 1999 as an associate professor of periodontology and oral biology and was promoted to full professor in 2006. He was appointed assistant dean for academic affairs in 2007 and associate dean in 2008.
A fellow of the American College of Dentists, Leone is the recipient of numerous honors, including the BU Chapter of the American Student Dental Association’s Faculty Award for Outstanding Dedication and Service to Dental Students and Organized Dentistry and the Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Prior to joining BU, Leone taught at the University of Florida and at Tufts University. He earned a doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1983. He completed a certificate of advanced graduate studies in periodontology in 1987 and received a doctorate of medical sciences in oral biology in 1989 from Harvard University.
The new dean’s research interests include salivary proteins and immune mechanisms in periodontal disease.
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