Alex White Begins Joint Appointment at Schools of Dentistry, Public Health
Dr. B. Alex White recently began his appointment as associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the Gillings School of Global Public Health and in the Department of Dental Ecology at the UNC School of Dentistry.
”It’s a real privilege for me to join the UNC faculty,” said White. “I’m very excited by the opportunities here in Chapel Hill and look forward to collaborating with individuals and institutions throughout the state to improve the oral health of North Carolinians. I’m particularly honored to be able to advance the strong relationship between the Gillings School of Global Public Health and the School of Dentistry.”
In his new role as a joint-appointed faculty between the schools of public health and dentistry, White will be teaching in the health policy and management curriculum and the related dental ecology course offerings. He will initiate, build and sustain an outstanding collaborative program in public health dentistry, including provision of North Carolina leadership in dental public health policy. He will also engage in research, scholarship and mentorship for students of all levels who are engaged in related projects.
“I am delighted that Dr. White has come home to UNC and look forward to his building on the legacy of excellence in dental public health scholarship, for which UNC is internationally acclaimed,” said Dr. Lauren Patton, chair of the Department of Dental Ecology.
White earned his bachelor’s in chemistry UNC-Chapel Hill in 1979 and his D.D.S. from the UNC School of Dentistry in 1983. He completed a 24-month general practice residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, followed by a Fellowship at Kings College School of Dentistry in London, England and the University of Edinburgh School of Dentistry in Edinburgh, Scotland. He later returned to Harvard where he earned his M.S. in health policy and management, his M.P.H., his certificate in dental public health residency and his Dr.P.H., and served as a Robert Wood Johnson Dental Services Scholar. In 1995, White completed a primary care policy fellowship at the Health Services Research Administration.
During his career, White has worked in a number of non-academic settings, including community health centers, the White House’s Office of Policy Development, the Division of Epidemiology and Oral Disease Prevention of NIDCR, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and DentaQuest Institute. Most recently, White was on the faculty of the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine where he served as the unit chief of public health dentistry. He has received a numerous awards and recognition of his contributions to national public health efforts, including a number of U.S. Public Health Services awards and citations.
