“Be open to the world, expand diversity, lead innovation, connect across disciplines and sectors, and connect with our communities.”
Professor Elham Emami the Faculty of Dentistry’s next Dean will officially begin her mandate on July 1st, 2018. But she is not a stranger to the Faculty. She has been an Adjunct Professor at McGill since 2011. Here is a sneak peek at her career path and personal research which, without a doubt, resonate with McGill’s strategic objectives.
Professor Emami is an internationally recognized clinical scientist who has dedicated her career to the promotion of oral health through service, education and research. She is a firm believer in the art of collaboration and teamwork, and is an advocate for diversity and cultural values. She believes that with a participative style of management, positive energy and a full commitment to faculty member’s goals and dreams, the aspirations of the Faculty will be brilliantly achieved.
Upon her arrival in Canada in 2002, Professor Emami had 17 years of experience in public and private general dental practice in Iran. She rapidly became an influential clinician scientist pursuing her studies in Montreal. She holds a PhD in biomedical science and an MSc in prosthodontic rehabilitation, both from the Université de Montréal. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in Public Health and Epidemiology from McGill University and CR-CHUM respectively.
She is currently a Full Professor at the Université de Montreal in the Faculty of Dentistry, with a second affiliation in the School of Public Health at the same university. She is also responsible for the public heath/clinical axis of the Quebec Network for Oral Health Research, is Director of the Oral Health and Rehabilitation Research Unit at the Université de Montréal and is a Councillor at large for the Canadian Association of Dental Research and IADR e-Oral Health Network. Professor Emami has served on several executive board committees in the Faculties of Dentistry and Postgraduate Studies at Université de Montreal, as well as with various research organizations across Canada.
Her innovative and interdisciplinary research program entitled “Fostering Oral Health Through Interdisciplinary Research: Intervention, Access and Impact” values the knowledge, expertise and experience that exist beyond the boundaries of a single discipline. It promotes finding solutions for challenging problems in oral health and explaining its multifactorial trajectories in the context of general health. This research program will have significant impact on the promotion of general health and oral health in Canada as well as globally.
Professor Emami’s work has won several important prizes and awards at national and international levels and has been supported by grants from Canadian and Quebec governmental funding bodies, as well as industry. Her publications have been cited by organizations such as the Center for Reviews and Dissemination at NIH and in various media. She is an associate editor for Trials Journal and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Dental Research.
Now with 33 years of experience in the dental profession and academia, she is ready and excited to put on an administrator’s hat at McGill University to contribute to the Faculty’s vibrancy, its connection to its community and its efforts towards being an example of excellence in the areas of research, education and community service.
Congratulations to Dr. Emami on her new appointment!