Open Rank Professor and Director of Mobile Dentistry

Job Description

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center seeks a full-time non-tenure Open Rank Professor and Director of Mobile Dentistry. The College of Dentistry operates mobile dental clinics (3-chair buses) that serves the communities and act as predoctoral rotation sites. The Director of Mobile Dentistry provides strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for UT Health Science Center College of Dentistry's mobile dental program. This role oversees the planning, delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement of mobile oral health services that expand access to care, strengthen community partnerships, and support UT Health Science Center's educational and service missions. The Director ensures regulatory compliance, clinical quality, patient safety, financial stewardship, and an exceptional patient and learner experience across all mobile sites.

Responsibilities

TEACHING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT:

• Develop and execute a multi-year vision for mobile dentistry aligned with UT Health Science Center's mission and community needs.
• Oversee day-to-day operations of mobile units, including scheduling, site readiness, supply chain, equipment maintenance, and fleet coordination.
• Coordinate mobile clinic staffing models (faculty, residents, students, hygienists, assistants, administrators, drivers/logistics staff as applicable).
• Build and sustain partnerships with schools, community health organizations, public health agencies, long-term care facilities, and nonprofit partners.
• Establish annual goals, service priorities, performance metrics, and reporting structures for the program.
• Provide clinical leadership to ensure evidence-based care, appropriate supervision, and consistency of clinical protocols across mobile settings.
• Integrate mobile dentistry experiences into dental and dental hygiene education, externships, and community rotations as appropriate.
• Support competency-based education and evaluate learner performance in community-based settings.
• Track and report key outcomes (e.g., patients served, procedures, preventive services, referral completion, patient satisfaction, educational outcomes).
• Train and supervise faculty, staff, and learners on mobile-specific clinical procedures, safety protocols, and community engagement best practices.
• Provide direct patient care as needed and integrate mobile dentistry experiences into dental and dental hygiene education, externships, and community rotations as appropriate.

Qualifications

EDUCATION: DDS/DMD or equivalent degree from an accredited institution.

LICENSES: License or license-eligible for a Tennessee Dental License.

DEPARTMENTAL PREFERENCES:

• Advanced training and/or degree (e.g., MPH, MBA, MS) or significant clinical experience.
• Experience supervising learners (dental students/residents).
• Experience in community-based clinical education.
• Frequent travel to mobile clinic sites; occasional evening/weekend events.
• Ability to work in mobile clinical environments and support set-up/teardown needs as required.
• Ability to meet clinical physical demands (standing, bending, lifting supplies within reasonable limits).

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is a statewide flagship, public, academic health institution in Tennessee. Founded in 1911, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to improve the health and well-being of Tennesseans and the global community by fostering collaborative education, research, scientific discovery, clinical care, and public service. Employing more than 4,600 people on its faculty, staff, and not-for-profit corporation faculty practice groups, and with more than 3,200 students across the state, UT Health Science Center contributes $4 billion to the economy of Tennessee.

Part of the University of Tennessee System, the Health Science Center is headquartered in Memphis and includes all six of UT's doctoral-degree-granting health science colleges -- Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Graduate Health Sciences, and Health Professions. UT Health Science Center spans the state with its four major, regional clinical health science locations in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, as well as more than 100 clinical education sites across Tennessee. UT Health Science Center is the largest educator of health care professionals in the state and operates the state's largest residency and fellowship advanced training programs.


Located in West Tennessee on the banks of the Mississippi River, Memphis is the second-largest city in the state and among the largest cities in the Southeast. The Greater Memphis metropolitan area has more than 1.3 million residents, and the city ranks among those with the lowest cost of living in the country. It is home to a vibrant restaurant scene, a revitalized Downtown, the Midtown Arts District, many scenic neighborhoods, an active medical district, and a burgeoning airport in the midst of a $214 million modernization.


Memphis boasts attractions, including Elvis Presley's Graceland, the Memphis Grizzlies, historic Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, the second-largest urban county park in the United States, and the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.