Dr. Yvonne Kapila, professor of dentistry in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, has been named director of global initiatives at the School of Dentistry.

In her role, Kapila will identify and develop high-priority international affiliations with colleges, universities, health agencies and other groups worldwide; develop models for student exchanges working in collaboration with the school’s Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Research; explore possible global partnerships with other U-M schools and colleges; and evaluate requests from colleges and universities worldwide who seek to develop partnerships with the School of Dentistry. She also will represent the school on the provost’s new committee of representatives from health science schools who are developing globalization plans for their schools.

Kapila’s appointment by Dean Peter Polverini comes as President Mary Sue Coleman recently unveiled a Third Century Initiative designed to engage the university community in addressing a wide range of global issues and challenges. The U-M program will use $50 million in existing funds during the next five years to develop innovative, multidisciplinary teaching and learning initiatives that also will include international experiences.

“The School of Dentistry has a long history of international collaboration,” Polverini says. “In recent years, we have seen a growth in these relationships and an increasing interest in international affiliations and partnerships.” He also noted faculty and students travel worldwide to participate in educational, clinical, and research programs and initiatives, and that international educators and others regularly visit the School of Dentistry.

“I feel privileged and excited to be asked to develop and lead the school’s new Global Initiatives Program,” Kapila says. “This is an area I have always been passionate about since I grew up in a Mexican barrio in California and saw, first hand, health disparities in my own life and among the children in my community.” Kapila added that her “affection for global outreach and addressing health disparities continued as a dental student” when she participated in AIDS outreach programs in Kenya. “In this new role,” she says, “I’m determined to work with many others and make a difference, not just for our school, but in the communities where the School of Dentistry will be involved.”

Kapila has been with the School of Dentistry since 2004. A cell and molecular biologist, her research focuses on basic mechanisms that regulate apoptosis or programmed cell death as it pertains to periodontal disease progression and inflammation, as well as cancer metastasis. Kapila earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in human biology from Stanford University in 1986. She later earned three degrees from University of California, San Francisco — a Bachelor of Science degree and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1990, a certificate in periodontology in 1994, and a Ph.D. in oral biology in 1997. She also did postdoctoral work in cell biology at UCSF from 1997-98.