ATSU names dean for new dental school
Posted: February 21, 2012
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A. T. Still University is proud to announce that Christopher G. Halliday, D.D.S., M.P.H., will be the inaugural dean of the new dental school on its Kirksville campus, the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health. He will begin his duties at ATSU on June 1.
Dr. Halliday, a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), is the assistant surgeon general and chief of staff to the surgeon general of the United States. His previous experience includes director and chief dental officer of the Indian Health Service and chief professional officer of the dental category. During his term as chief dental officer of the USPHS, Dr. Halliday coordinated the delivery of oral health services by the Commissioned Corps Dental Officers from the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security.
He received his doctor of dental surgery from Marquette University School of Dentistry and his Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Public Health.
Dr. Halliday has dedicated his professional life to serving underserved populations. He has worked in areas as diverse as Barrow, AK, for three years, and American Indian reservations in New Mexico and Arizona for seven years. In several posts in Washington D.C., he has worked tirelessly to bring dental and medical services to people who would otherwise not receive them.
“We are very fortunate that Dr. Halliday is joining ATSU, leading the establishment of our new dental school in Missouri,” said ATSU President Jack Magruder. “He will bring tremendous expertise to making the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health an unqualified success. I am very pleased to begin working with him in Kirksville.”
Dr. Halliday is the recipient of numerous awards and honors from the Public Health Service and Indian Health Service, including an Isolated Hardship Award, a Commendation Medal, an Outstanding Service Medal, and the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal.
Regina Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., surgeon general of the United States said, “He will have an opportunity to share his passion of service to the underserved and vulnerable populations with his students. I will personally miss his dedication and commitment to the welfare of the Office of the Surgeon General.”
The Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health’s inaugural dean is a member of the Commissioned Officers Association, American Dental Association, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American Dental Education Association, and a fellow in the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Halliday will attend the groundbreaking for ATSU’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health on the Kirksville campus of ATSU on March 15.