Drs. Judith Jones and Celeste Kong Take on New Challenges
On November 9, it was announced that Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter had created two new positions at GSDM and appointed Dr. Judith Jones as Director of the Center for Clinical Research (CRC) and Dr. Celeste Kong as Associate Chair of the Department of General Dentistry. Both Drs. Jones and Kong will also retain their current positions as Chair of the Department of General Dentistry and Director of Pre-doctoral Restorative Dentistry, respectively.
In the Department of General Dentistry, Dr. Jones will continue to take the lead in patient-oriented research, faculty development, and finance. As Associate Chair, Dr. Kong will assume a greater role in Accreditation and Curricular issues, particularly as they relate to the improvements in the curriculum outlined by the Applied Strategic Plan.
The CRC will play a key role in achieving the GSDM’s objective to become a leader in clinical and translational research in dental medicine and oral healthcare. As Director of the CRC, Dr. Jones will be responsible for clinical operations including directly supervising and ensuring the professional development of staff, students, residents, and junior faculty, ensuring patient and staff satisfaction and collaborating with the administration and clinical investigators on a model of optimal oral healthcare delivery in a research setting. In addition, Dr. Jones will be responsible for the fiscal management of the CRC and collaborate closely with other departments at GSDM, the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and function as the liaison for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the School of Medicine.
In addition to her roles at GSDM, Dr. Jones is an associate professor at Boston University School of Public Health. She joined GSDM in 1991, after holding a faculty position at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Her research interests involve oral health-related quality-of-life oral-systemic relationships, health services research on variations in care, and the effectiveness of fluoride in preventing caries in medically complex patients.
Dr. Jones received her DDS in 1978 and MPH in 1981 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed a CAGS in 2000 and a DScD in Dental Public Health in 2002 from GSDM. She also holds a certificate in dental hygiene from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and board certifications from the American Board of Dental Public Health and the American Board of Special Care in Dentistry. She is a Board Member-elect of the American Board of Dental Public Health and has been a member of the Medical Staff at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, MA since 1983.
Dr. Kong has been on faculty at the School for 26 years. She joined GSDM in 1984, as a clinical instructor of prosthodontics. She was later promoted to assistant professor of prosthodontics and then associate professor of restorative sciences/biomaterials and general dentistry. In 2008, Dr. Kong was promoted to professor in the Department of General Dentistry.
Dr. Kong received a CAGS in prosthodontics in 1984 and a DMD in 1988 from GSDM. She also received a DMD from the University of the Philippines College of Dentistry in 1981. In 2004, she received the Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Kong serves on many important committees for the School as well as the BUMC Mentoring Task Force and the BUMC organizing committee for the Boston University Medical Campus John McCahan Education Day.
“I am confident that both Dr. Jones and Dr. Kong will do an excellent job taking on the challenges of these new roles,” said Dean Hutter. “Please join me in congratulating them both on their well-deserved appointments as Director of the Center for Clinical Research and Associate Chair of the Department of General Dentistry, respectively at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.”