Dr. John N. Williams, dean, Indiana University School of Dentistry, has announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Platt as the chair designee of the newly named Department of Biomedical Sciences and Comprehensive Care. Dr. Platt will assume the position upon the retirement of Dr. David Brown at the end of February 2019.

The IU School of Dentistry is merging the Department of Comprehensive Care and General Dentistry and the Department of Biomedical and Applied Sciences to better translate the foundational elements of the biomedical sciences into clinical practice.

“We are strengthening our integration of biomedical science concepts within the pedagogy of comprehensive general dentistry,” Dean Williams said. “This is an important distinction as the national dental boards are moving to a single national examination beginning in fall 2020. I have every confidence that Dr. Platt can lead this important transition for IUSD.”

Dr. Platt is an associate professor and the Ralph W. Phillips Scholar in Dental Materials. He became chair of the Department of Biomedical and Applied Sciences in 2016.

A 1984 IU School of Dentistry D.D.S. graduate, Dr. Platt served in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps, followed by private practice in Fort Wayne. After earning a master’s degree in dental materials from the IU School of Dentistry in 1996, Dr. Platt joined the full-time faculty and became director of the dental school’s dental materials division in 2000.

A prodigious scholar, Dr. Platt has authored more than 100 manuscripts and 170 research abstracts, focused primarily on adhesive dentistry and resin composites. His leadership and service contributions are many, as he has served on the board of directors for both the Isaac Knapp District Dental Society in Fort Wayne and the Indianapolis District Dental Society, where he also served as president. He is a member of the Indiana Dental Association House of Delegates and the 7th District American Dental Association (ADA) Delegation. Nationally recognized as a dental materials expert, Dr. Platt has served as chair of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, which guides the research agenda for U.S. dental practice.

Dr. Platt is editor of Operative Dentistry and is a fellow of the American College of Dentistry, International College of Dentists, and the Academy of General Dentistry. He was president of the Dental Materials Group of the International Association for Dental Research and is vice chair of the ADA Standards Committee for Dental Products, as well as a convener and U.S. delegate to the International Standards Organization.