Ibbetson to take the helm at Aberdeen
Troubled dental school will be led by highly regarded academic from this summer
One of the country’s most respected dental academics, Professor Richard Ibbetson, is to take the helm at the troubled Aberdeen Dental School, it has been announced.
The appointment of the former director of the Edinburgh Postgraduate Dental Institute is regarded as a major boost for a university that has been operating under a cloud since a recent damning GDC report.
Professor Ibbetson is highly regarded throughout the dental community in the UK and it is hoped that his appointment will help to draw other senior clinicians to a school that has been struggling to attract and retain senior staff in recent years. The school recently advertised for four department heads.
I get a great ‘buzz’ from teaching students, and much enjoy practising dentistry.
Professor Richard Ibbetson
At present, Professor Ibbetson is the director of the graduate entry dentistry programme at the University of Central Lancashire. He will join Aberdeen in July.
Professor Ibbetson said: “I am delighted to be taking up the post of director of Aberdeen Dental School, and to be working with NHS Grampian, NHS Education for Scotland and the University to develop its role as a professional centre promoting and supporting the continual improvement of dental health across the north of Scotland.
“I’m keen to get to know the staff and students – and the local dental community. The school is a great resource for the north of Scotland and I very much look forward to working with all the stakeholders. I get a great ‘buzz’ from teaching students, and much enjoy practising dentistry. This makes the role particularly appealing, and I look forward to joining my new team later this summer.”
Professor Ibbetson faces an uphill battle to restore the reputation of the dental school in Aberdeen. Earlier this year, a second GDC investigation revealed a catalogue of poor teaching performance, injury to patients by senior students, and low pass rates. In addition, the school lost a number of its senior teaching staff who left amid a series of allegations surrounding the way in which they had been treated by management at the school.
Professor Ibbetson graduated from Guy’s Hospital Dental School in London, and has an MSc in Conservative Dentistry from the UCL Eastman Dental Institute. After moving to Scotland in 1999 to take up the post as director of the Edinburgh Postgraduate Dental Institute, Professor Ibbetson was elected dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
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