July 6, 2011
Dentistry names Raymond Wilkinson to Schluger chair in periodontics
Dr. Raymond Wilkinson
Dr. Raymond Wilkinson of the School of Dentistrys Department of Periodontics has been named to the Saul Schluger Endowed Chair in Periodontics, effective July 1. The appointment has been approved by the UW Board of Regents.
Dean Martha Somerman appointed Wilkinson to the chair, one of the Schools most prominent faculty positions, upon the unanimous recommendation of the Schluger chair selection committee. The appointment is for one year and is renewable.
“Dr. Wilkinson has been an outstanding member of the Graduate Periodontics faculty for 29 years and is particularly critical to the residents training in sedation and general Periodontics,” wrote Dr. Frank Roberts, chair of the selection committee, in a letter announcing the appointment. “We are delighted to make this recommendation for this highly prized position.”
Wilkinson, who has been in private practice since 1984, joined the Department of Periodontics in 1976 as a clinical associate, rising to clinical professor in 1995.
“Its a very great honor,” he said, noting that most of his predecessors in the chair have enjoyed international reputations.
The School of Dentistrys first endowed chair was established in 1990 to honor the late Dr. Saul Schluger in recognition of his significant contributions to periodontics, dentistry and oral health.
Schluger, known affectionately by students and colleagues as “Poppa Saul,” was a modern pioneer in periodontics. He initially gained prominence in his field by launching the nations first specialty program in periodontics at Columbia University in 1946. When he created the periodontics program at the UW in 1958, it was the first one west of the Mississippi.
Inventor of the “Schluger file,” a widely used periodontal bone file, he was president of the American Academy of Periodontology, as well as an outspoken proponent of recruiting women to the field. He lectured around the world, authored several textbooks, and was an active patron of the arts in Seattle.
