Prof. Avraham Zini has been elected the new Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Hebrew University and Hadassah. Prof. Zini received a D.M.D. degree in 1989 with a specialization in Public Health Dentistry, Masters of Public Health in 2006 and Ph.D. degree in 2011, all awarded from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2000-2008 he was the director of the Yad Sarah geriatric dental clinic which focuses on the oral health needs of geriatric communities. From 2016 – 2019, Prof. Zini was the head of the Community Dentistry Department in the Faculty.
From 2015 – 2021, Prof. Zini has been the Associate Dean of the Faculty. During his term, he headed the Faculty’s current accreditation process (CODA) an international dental education program with certification from the American Dental Association. Prof. Zini is also a researcher and lecturer in the Faculty and has published 140 peer review articles, and is an editorial board member in many well-known journals. By emphasizing research, Prof. Zini raises the awareness of the oral health dimension and the importance of its treatment among needy populations as well as among policy-makers and to bring about an improvement in the quality of life of the population.
“As I begin this exciting new chapter, my goals and objectives include: increased innovation, investment in our staff and students and increasing the prestige of the Faculty as a leader in its field. However, just as important is the Faculty’s aim to develop social responsibility and community consciousness among our dental students. The value of the Hebrew term “Tikun Olam” which literally means, “repairing the world” is an integral part of our teaching method and we hope this value is passed on to the next generation of our Faculty future dental graduates.”