Dr. Ritter will replace , who is retiring for health reasons.

Currently a professor in New York University鈥檚 College of Dentistry, Dr. Ritter has extensive clinical experience in various settings, from private practice to community public health clinics. He has served as executive dean of the University of North Carolina鈥檚 Adams School of Dentistry, as well as chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at NYU. He maintains a private dental faculty practice through NYU, as he did for 18 years at UNC.

鈥淥ver the past few years under Dean Gary Chiodo鈥檚 leadership, the School of Dentistry has made significant progress in addressing its financial challenges. And, with Dr. Ritter鈥檚 impressive record of leadership in the clinical realm, we are confident that he will continue to improve the School鈥檚 facilities and revenue models and advance the School鈥檚 long-term financial picture,鈥� Richards said. 鈥淭hroughout the interview process, Dr. Ritter expressed his commitment to strengthening the UW dental community, both within and beyond the University, and we look forward to supporting his work in that.鈥�

The UW School of Dentistry is widely recognized as one of the top programs in the country and the world. The school, established in 1945, has a strong foundation steeped in research, clinical care, education and service.

鈥淒entistry is rapidly evolving, and schools and programs have to adapt and innovate to be successful,鈥� Dr. Ritter said. 鈥淭o lead the UW School of Dentistry and further elevate its status as a leader in global oral healthcare education, innovation, research and care delivery, and to do so while advancing the mission of one of the world鈥檚 preeminent public universities, is an unparalleled opportunity.鈥�

As department chair at NYU, Dr. Ritter led 300 faculty members and was responsible for staffing at all dental clinics and 14 group practices. He created and facilitated diversity, equity and inclusion open forums and trainings, and led his department through COVID-19 accommodations and modifications to ensure that students could take courses required for graduation and promotion.

At UNC, where Dr. Ritter oversaw a school-wide operational budget of $70 million, he was responsible for IT; human resources; diversity, equity and inclusion; faculty development; clinical compliance and infection control; institutional effectiveness; facilities and infrastructure; faculty promotion and tenure; wellness; continuing education; and dental faculty practice board. Dr. Ritter also served as chair of the UNC Department of Operative Dentistry and led the department through its successful 2017 CODA accreditation site visit.

His research interests include diagnosis and management of tooth decay, conservative and minimally invasive restorative dentistry, esthetics, dental adhesion and composite resin applications.

Dr. Ritter earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, his Master of Science in operative dentistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Master of Business Administration in health-care administration from Northeastern University in Boston, and his doctorate in dentistry from Universidade Positivo in Brazil.

The future of our health and the health of the communities we live in relies, in many ways, on students in the health sciences. The education and experiences that future doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, social workers and public health experts receive will to a large degree shape how those professionals work and work together when solving problems affecting our health.

And while the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 highly ranked health sciences schools have long focused on interdisciplinary education and training students to be part of seamlessly integrated teams, the space where much of that training takes place on UW鈥檚 Seattle campus has been in need of a serious upgrade.

That upgrade is now 鈥渙fficially鈥� underway as deans of the UW Health Sciences schools 鈥� Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Social Work 鈥� and Washington State legislators celebrated construction of the on the UW鈥檚 Seattle campus with a small, physically distanced groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 27.

鈥淭his new facility will enable our students across the full range of health sciences to work in a setting that better mirrors the way they鈥檒l be engaging in patient care as professionals,鈥� said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淭his will result in better care for the patients they serve, because we鈥檝e seen the benefits that come from coordinating various health disciplines, rather than keeping them siloed.鈥�

The Health Sciences Education Building will be where students learn integrated patient care聽in an integrated training facility. The 100,000 square-foot, four-story, $100 million, fully modern facility received $70 million from the Washington state Legislature. The University is seeking an additional $30 million in private support from community members through and donations to complete funding for the building.

鈥淚 am proud to have worked with my legislative colleagues to support this project with nearly $70 million in state capital funds. Ensuring that UW health sciences students have access to state-of-the-art interdisciplinary training facilities is critical to our state鈥檚 health care workforce pipeline,鈥� said Sen. David Frockt (D-46th District).

The new building is designed around flexible spaces that allow for 21st-century teaching techniques, including high-tech learning facilities used for computer simulation, mock treatment labs and an ultra-modern Anatomy Lab Suite with virtual anatomy capabilities. The facility will also enable robust remote learning access for students and professionals who are part of the UW鈥檚 multi-state medical education program 鈥� WWAMI, which stands for the states served by the School of Medicine: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

In addition, the health sciences deans envision a building with the capacity for students to immediately share ideas, images and projects in classrooms and in their working teams.聽The finished building will also have a library extension that is integrated into the main classroom floor to help students immediately engage evidence in their learning, gain skills in navigating resources and benefit from coaching about how to use library tools, resources and in their project work.

Fifty years ago, the average person was under the care of three health-care professionals. Now, the average healthy person relies on 16 professionals for their overall health care. Consequently, integrated patient care is increasingly necessary for the future of health sciences. The building will be a hub that fosters interaction, collaboration and cutting-edge learning necessary for recruiting and retaining talented students and faculty 鈥� critical to maintaining the UW鈥檚 top-ranked programs.

鈥淭he Health Sciences Education Building is a state-of-the-art facility that will prepare the next generation of professionals for a more collaborative, more collegial role as part of interprofessional teams to address today鈥檚 health care needs. From pandemics to health equity, the nation鈥檚 first integrated health sciences training facility will provide students with a high-tech learning space to develop solutions to global issues affecting population health,鈥� said School of Nursing Executive Dean Azita Emami, who is also chair of the Board of Health Sciences Deans.

The building will be completed in May 2022.

For more information contact Jake Ellison at Jbe3@UW.edu.