Joseph Franco, BA’80, DDS’84, assistant professor and interim assistant dean for clinical operations in the School of Dentistry accepted the position of assistant dean for clinics/chief dental officer effective Feb. 1, 2019. The assistant dean for clinics/chief dental officer will focus on our patients and students and facilitate and manage quality assurance, infection control and work in close contact with the senior director on operational initiatives. Franco will be responsible for patient management oversite to include the integration of the PMAs and Group Leaders’ roles in assuring the continuity of high quality dental care for our patients and clinical services.
The School of Dentistry is indeed fortunate to have an individual of Franco’s talent and ambition, having served as the interim assistant dean for clinical operations since June 2018 and as the assistant director of clinics from 2016-2018. Franco was also the interim chair of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences from 2017 -2018.
Franco received his DDS degree from Creighton University in 1984. He then participated in the Veteran’s Administration’s GPR program from 1984-1985. In 1985, Franco joined the part-time faculty at the School of Dentistry. In addition to reaching part-time, he maintained a private dental practice until 2013, at which time he joined our full-time faculty. His experience also includes being a medical staff member of the Immanuel Medical Center (1985-96), a staff dentist at the Florence Nursing Home (1985-94), the on-call dentist for Immanuel Medical Center’s Sports Trainers Department Q006-2013) covering oral trauma at high school sport events and consulting dentist for MLS Group of Companies’ Peer Review organization (2009-2013).
He is the president of the Creighton Chapter of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Honorary Dental Society, a member of the American Dental Education Association, American Dental Association, Nebraska Dental Association and Omaha District Dental Society. He also serves as dental director for the Nebraska Special Olympics.
