Fall 2012
The Faculty of Dentistry has successfully appointed new full-time faculty members in the departments of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, and Oral Health Sciences. These young faculty members bring a level of enthusiasm and expertise that is certain to maintain outstanding programs at UBC far into the future.
Dr. Leeann Donnelly
Leeann Donnelly, Dip DH, BDSc, MSc (Dental Science), PhD (Craniofacial Science), has joined the Faculty as assistant professor. Dr. Donnelly received her diploma in dental hygiene from Vancouver Community College in 1996. At the University of British Columbia, she received her Bachelor of Dental Science (Dental Hygiene) in 2002, Master of Science in 2005, and doctoral degree in 2012 for the dissertation “The Relationship Between Perceived Oral Health, Body Image, and Social Interactions Among Institutionalized Elders.” Donnelly has taught in both the Dental Hygiene Degree Program and the DMD program since 2002, and currently teaches in, and is the fourth-year coordinator for, DHDP. She also oversees the community service learning component for DHDP in the area of special care populations. Donnelly’s primary research interest is in the biopsychosocial effects of oral malodor. She also continues to investigate, develop and evaluate community outreach programs designed to further understand and improve the oral health of older adults; specifically, those who are institutionalized and other special care populations.
Dr. Ya Shen
Ya Shen, DDS, PhD, has been appointed assistant professor in the Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences. Dr. Shen received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1993, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Dental Science) in 2004, both from Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China. She also completed her endodontic specialty training in 2004 at Wuhan University, and from then until 2007, was an associate professor and in charge of clinical training in the endodontics postgraduate program. During 2006, Shen also worked as a senior research assistant at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Dentistry. Shen was a clinical assistant professor at UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry from 2008 to 2011. She has published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a reviewer for several international journals, including Journal of Dentistry and Endodontic Topics. Shen’s main research interests are nickel-titanium instrument fracture mechanics, biofilms, dental materials and three-dimensional imaging in endodontics.