Meet the Dean Ad Interim: A Q&A with Cataldo Leone, DMD
Cataldo Leone, DMD, was appointed dean ad interim of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), effective April 1, 2021. Dr. Leone joined the GSDM faculty in 1999 as an associate professor of periodontology and oral biology and was promoted to professor in 2006. He has been serving as the associate dean of academic affairs since 2008.
Can you explain a little bit about your role at GSDM prior to becoming dean ad interim?
I sometimes find it hard to believe that I have been at GSDM for more than 20 years. My roles have evolved from researcher at the lab bench, clinical faculty “walking the beat” in the postdoctoral periodontology clinic, and practitioner at the 930 Commonwealth Ave. Dental Health Center — during my first decade at BU — to academic dean for the last dozen years. In this most recent role, I have been blessed with a wonderful staff who have helped me manage the curriculum for both predoctoral and postdoctoral interdisciplinary programs, evaluate educational outcomes, interface with students and residents, ensure continued accreditation, and contribute to the overall mission of the school.
How will your past experiences inform the approach you take as dean ad interim?
As I mentioned, I have been at GSDM for a long time and have been involved broadly in its educational, scholarly, service, and outreach activities; I believe that those experiences will allow for as seamless a transition in leadership as possible. I don’t need to learn the “lay of the land” as it were. I have been heavily involved at the medical campus and Charles River campus levels for years, and understand how things run at those levels. Furthermore, having served two years as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, I have an appreciation for how all schools and colleges fit into the greater whole of this great University.
What are the first three things you plan to do as of April 1?
This is always a tough question for me because, as we all know, our plans are quite often modified at the last minute by unforeseen contingencies. It should not surprise anyone that, as I step into this new role, I don’t know what I don’t know, as the saying goes. So, as of now I plan to begin knowing what I need to know!
What are your top priorities / biggest goals for your tenure as dean ad interim?
There are several, and these can be viewed as immediate or short-range priorities as well as mid- to long-range priorities. It goes without saying that the budget needs to remain balanced. We also need to begin work on an updated strategic plan, now that the University has launched its own plan. At the predoctoral level, I believe that a major curriculum review is needed, including an examination of how the curriculum impacts the education within and operation of the predoctoral treatment center, especially as it impacts our direct patient care. As a postdoctoral faculty, I am very aware of the important role our clinical specialty areas play in the school’s excellent reputation. As a school within a research-intensive University, we need to make sure that our research initiatives are sustained and furthered. The same is true for our community outreach and global engagement. Furthermore, it is critically important to continue to enhance our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.
Lastly, I would add that dentistry continues to evolve, and we must situate ourselves so that we are on the leading, not trailing, edge of whatever comes our way. In this regard, I myself do not have complete answers and look forward to working with all the GSDM stakeholders in figuring it out.
What are you most looking forward to as dean ad interim?
To furthering the visions and legacies of our past deans: Drs. Goldman, Frankl, and Hutter. These were all great deans and great leaders of this school who achieved great things in the context of their own “generation” of the school, respectively and metaphorically speaking: infancy, adolescence, and young adulthood. They left big shoes to fill, and I hope that I can fill them in some small way at least, as we continue to mature as a school and a leader in and of the profession.
What’s one thing you want the GSDM community to know about you?
As a first-generation American and first-generation college graduate, I believe that I bring to the table an understanding of the concerns and realities that we all have as human beings trying to do the best for ourselves and for our families. I recognize that there are, and will be, tensions related to strategic priorities and resource allocation across the myriad elements of our mission. Towards that end, and given my own life lessons, my approach as ad interim dean will be fair and measured in doing what is best for the school.
What do you think makes GSDM special?
What makes us special is “us.” We are fortunate that GSDM has dedicated faculty, staff, students, residents, and alumni who will, together, ensure our school’s continuing success. I will do my best to keep it all moving forward.
For more on Dr. Leone, click here to read a recent BU Today story announcing his appointment as dean ad interim.