Recommendation for Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
Recommendation for Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
The Issue
The strength of a dental education is measured in the clinic. It's where students stop being students and start becoming dentists, and it only works when the people leading it understand both the craft of clinical care and the machinery that keeps a teaching clinic running.
As the school looks to fill the position of Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs following Dr. Paulo Camargo's departure, the students of the program want to put forward the name we trust most for that work:
Dr. Elbert Tom.
Dr. Tom has spent more than three decades inside UCLA's clinical and preclinical programs, and there are few corners of our training he hasn't shaped. He has taught the detailed nuances of clinical treatment planning, guided us through radiographic interpretation, and worked alongside us in oral radiology and the restorative clinic. As our group practice director, he's the person we go to when a case gets complicated and we need real judgment rather than a quick answer. He holds us to a genuinely high standard in clinical decision making and patient management, and he makes sure we have what we need to meet it.
That depth matters for this role specifically. As the school's axiUm coordinator, Dr. Tom already lives in the systems that run our clinics day to day, so the operational side of Clinical Affairs is familiar ground rather than a learning curve. He pairs that with a clear philosophy about what good patient care looks like and how a clinic should serve the people who walk into it.
His commitment also reaches well past our clinic floors. He's an ADA Faculty Ambassador to UCLA, an editor for the San Fernando Valley Dental Society, an active researcher in restorative dentistry and sustainability, and a dedicated volunteer in community and global health work. None of that is required of him, and all of it tells us something about how he approaches the profession. The fact that graduating classes have recognized him year after year only confirms what we already know from working beside him.
We believe Dr. Tom has the clinical expertise, the operational fluency, and the investment in students that this position demands. The students of the program proudly add our names in support of Dr.
Elbert Tom for Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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The Issue
The strength of a dental education is measured in the clinic. It's where students stop being students and start becoming dentists, and it only works when the people leading it understand both the craft of clinical care and the machinery that keeps a teaching clinic running.
As the school looks to fill the position of Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs following Dr. Paulo Camargo's departure, the students of the program want to put forward the name we trust most for that work:
Dr. Elbert Tom.
Dr. Tom has spent more than three decades inside UCLA's clinical and preclinical programs, and there are few corners of our training he hasn't shaped. He has taught the detailed nuances of clinical treatment planning, guided us through radiographic interpretation, and worked alongside us in oral radiology and the restorative clinic. As our group practice director, he's the person we go to when a case gets complicated and we need real judgment rather than a quick answer. He holds us to a genuinely high standard in clinical decision making and patient management, and he makes sure we have what we need to meet it.
That depth matters for this role specifically. As the school's axiUm coordinator, Dr. Tom already lives in the systems that run our clinics day to day, so the operational side of Clinical Affairs is familiar ground rather than a learning curve. He pairs that with a clear philosophy about what good patient care looks like and how a clinic should serve the people who walk into it.
His commitment also reaches well past our clinic floors. He's an ADA Faculty Ambassador to UCLA, an editor for the San Fernando Valley Dental Society, an active researcher in restorative dentistry and sustainability, and a dedicated volunteer in community and global health work. None of that is required of him, and all of it tells us something about how he approaches the profession. The fact that graduating classes have recognized him year after year only confirms what we already know from working beside him.
We believe Dr. Tom has the clinical expertise, the operational fluency, and the investment in students that this position demands. The students of the program proudly add our names in support of Dr.
Elbert Tom for Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on June 1, 2026