Dr. Joseph Parkinson

TOURO COLLEGE News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Touro University, a leading New York-based non-profit institution of higher and professional education, announces the appointment of Joseph Parkinson, DDS, MPA, FAGD as Executive Assistant Dean at Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) in Albuquerque.

Dr. Parkinson will serve as the highest-ranking professional at the New Mexico campus, leading all aspects of the dental college’s operations and clinical training programs. He will report directly to Dr. Ronnie Myers, DDS, Dean of the Touro College of Dental Medicine, and will be instrumental in shaping the vision and strategic direction for the New Mexico campus, which is located on the grounds of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Parkinson to this role at Touro College of Dental Medicine,” Touro University President Alan Kadish, M.D. said. “His exceptional background in both clinical practice and academia positions him as the ideal leader to drive the success of our New Mexico campus as we continue to develop a world-class educational and clinical environment that upholds Touro’s mission to serve the community.”

Parkinson began his career in 1998 as a general dentist in Gladstone and Kansas City, Mo. In 2001 he started his academic career at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry, spending more than 10 years, rising through the ranks from Assistant to Associate Professor. From 2012 to 2015, he served as Assistant Dean at the University of Kentucky and subsequently spent the next decade at the University of East Carolina and University of Tennessee where he served as the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. In that role, he was instrumental in the development of external sites for clinical education and clinical operations.

“Dr. Parkinson brings a wealth of knowledge in teaching clinical dentistry as well as the necessary skills to establish a first-rate dental facility to train future clinicians and provide much-needed oral health care.” said Dr. Ronnie Myers Dean of the Touro College of Dental Medicine.

“I am honored to join Touro College of Dental Medicine and to take on this leadership role at the New Mexico campus,” Parkinson said. “I am committed to fostering an environment where both students and faculty thrive, and to advancing the mission of TCDM at this new facility.”

Currently under construction, TCDM New Mexico will encompass more than 70,000 square feet of educational and clinical space within the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute. It will house more than 100 dental units including specialty care in oral surgery, orthodontics, endodontics, and pediatric dentistry, accommodating the students who will complete their education at TCDM’s new facility and campus.

TCDM’s new dental college and clinic builds on the success of the organization’s New York campus and offers educational opportunities to students to serve diverse communities.

Touro University and Touro College of Dental Medicine believe that creating a dental education and clinical educational facility in New Mexico will deliver necessary dental care to those in need, while also providing local access to New Mexico students interested in becoming dentists.