Brian Howe, the new associate dean for clinical operations and patient care at Stony Brook University’s School of Dental Medicine, conveys an optimistic attitude in describing his transition to the position.
Howe has the responsibilities of overseeing and leading the school’s clinic team, patient care and operational procedures. He’s also in charge of patient privacy, officer complaints, leading initiatives for clinic technology and policy and procedure issues — all of which play critical roles in maintaining high standards of care and efficiency.
Aside from working as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family Dentistry at Stony Brook, Howe is involved with several other dentistry groups. He is a member of the American Dental Association Council on Dental Education and Licensure, vice chair of the Coalition for Modernizing Dental Licensure and the councilor for the American Dental Education Association section on Clinic Administration.
He started in his new position on July 1 and was previously the director of clinics in the College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics at the University of Iowa. He said that his previous position “definitely helped prepare me [for] what I do now.”
Howe said he highlights the value of creating a welcoming and humanistic work environment. His compassion towards his colleagues and individuals involved in the School of Dental Medicine is a big part of Howe’s goal.
“I want [the faculty and staff] to feel that they are contributing to the mission and vision of our school,” he said.
Inevitably, different departments at Stony Brook cross paths. Howe coordinates with other departments and key personnel, such as Dolores Cannella, the dental school’s associate dean for education. Howe describes it as “intertwining” education with the clinic. Additionally, he works alongside the Dean of the School of Dental Medicine, Patrick M. Lloyd, who he says “has been wonderful and extremely supportive of me … we have a similar vision.”
An extension of Howe’s goals is to educate students on upcoming technologies, namely artificial intelligence. He specifically mentioned Pearl AI, a device capable of evaluating “the widest range of pathologic and restorative features detectable in radiographic and 3D dental imagery.” He said that he wants to teach students how to use AI as a tool but not as a sole decision-maker.
Howe advocates to those considering enrolling in the dental program or those already part of it that “the care that they provide makes such a huge difference in people’s lives.”
“When you meet somebody, how impactful is it when someone smiles at you? … I think we play a huge part in that — and that’s exciting,” he said.
Howe’s passion for dentistry and working toward advancing it draws focus to the significance behind successfully running these medical programs. “People want to feel good about themselves. … Smiling and their teeth are a huge part of that,” he remarked.
