Welcome message from the chairman

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the VCU School of Dentistry and its OMFS Residency Program at the VCU Medical Center are well known and respected within the institution and among the OMFS community in this country and abroad. As testimony to its contribution to the profession over the past 50 years, under the leadership of prominent members of the specialty, the department has provided education to thousands of dental students and has been an inspiration to many to pursue specialty training. Our residency program has trained more than 110 specialists in the field. Among the graduates of the program are six current or former oral and maxillofacial surgery department chairmen, two presidents of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, two presidents of Virginia Dental Association, and many superb clinicians around the country and abroad. Furthermore, the graduates of this program are practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery in 47 states of the union and in three foreign countries.

With this long and illustrious history, the department continues to chart an even brighter future by being committed to providing quality, state of the art, patient care; innovative teaching; and a high caliber of scholarly contributions to the profession and the specialty. To fulfill this mission, the following goals have been set: Attracting, supporting, and retaining outstanding, diverse, and dedicated faculty and staff; continuously assessing and redesigning the educational curricula and programs; raising the research and scholarly activity profile of the department; and providing superior, compassionate, contemporary, and innovative patient care. The department also is committed to providing dedicated service to the school, the university, the community and the profession. Over the past five years alone, we have been able to achieve most of these goals, continue to work on others and set new ones. We are optimistic that through hard work, dedication and determination, not only will these goals be reached, but also the department will continuously set new goals to continue its endless march toward excellence.

For the second time in five years, I am excited again about updating our new departmental Web site, which provides contemporary information to those who seek it. This Web site is intended to be in pace with the change and the increase in demand for information about the department by patients, applicants to the program and alumni and as a resource for patients, referring doctors, students, potential applicants to our residency program, alumni and the general public. Patients or potential patients seeking care at our institution, and/or referring doctors, can view the scope of our practice, our financial polices, a map and written directions to our facility, and instructions on how to schedule an appointment under Patient Services. Referring doctors also can download a referral form to complete and mail to us, or it can accompany the patient at the initial visit. Patients also can find information about the full-time faculty members and their qualifications, as well as choose from their areas of expertise. Potential residency applicants can review the history of the program, the curriculum and the different polices governing our residency program under Residency Program. Under Dental Students one can view the different courses offered by the department, the assigned textbooks, and the different clinical rotations. Under Alumni one will find the alumni-related news. The general public can obtain information about our department, as well as links to other relevant sites.

I invite you to explore and get acquainted with us through our Web site. Learn more about our values, our goals, our clinical care and education activities. Also, please feel free to use the site to meet your needs and answer any questions you may have. For additional information, telephone numbers are provided that will hopefully correspond to your needs. If you are a member of the general public and have a question regarding the department or our specialty, view the contact information.

Dr. A. Omar Abubaker