Paul G. Luepke, DDS, M.S., FACD, joined the 海角论坛 School of Dentistry as dean in June.
Luepke has held leadership and faculty positions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, most recently as associate dean of faculty affairs, interim associate dean for clinical and extramural affairs and chair of periodontology in the College of Dentistry.
Luepke joins the School of Dentistry with significant forward momentum. He will help guide the school’s transition to the new Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building when it is complete in 2026. The new building will enhance the school’s dental clinics, which provide 70,000 patient visits and $500,000 in uncompensated care per year.
What inspired your career in dentistry?
I enjoyed going to the dentist, especially getting braces. I was really intrigued when they took out my teeth at oral surgery. Both my parents were in the medical field, so I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. I’m also good with my hands, and creative. So that added up to dentistry for me.
The beauty of dentistry is it has some art to it, in addition to the science, in creating a great smile for someone. Doing something that can transform somebody, as far as their smile goes, can change the dynamics for that person in getting a job and maybe even where they fit in society. So if you can be part of that transformation, even in a little way, I think it is very fulfilling that you’ve made a difference in somebody’s life.
What attracted you to the 海角论坛 School of Dentistry initially?
I had a career in the military, and we were always receiving dentists from different dental schools. Everybody we got from 海角论坛, we never had to worry about the core principles of their training. We could go right to getting them involved in delivering healthcare to the troops. I can't say that about every school. Sometimes we had to spend a little extra time. Then in my other academic positions, we would interview dental students from all the different universities, and I was always very impressed by the 海角论坛 students.
In addition, my wife is from Missouri. She was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and she still has family in the Kansas City area. I had never been to Kansas City, but we’ve been saying we wanted to come here. It took an interview to get here and actually enjoy the city.
What are you most looking forward to in your first year as dean?
Getting to know the people and trying to develop a very cohesive culture. That's what I really would like to establish, where we can all work together on the same team. So that’s been my goal, meeting people and learning what direction they want to go while making sure I can help steer them in that way, not only in a year, but five and 10 years from now. If we get everybody going in the same direction for the future of dentistry, we have a better chance of serving our students in 2030 and beyond.
Why is research important in the field of dentistry?
We want to provide evidence that what we're teaching is backed by research. From a clinical perspective, I want our students to know why they’re doing something and what evidence stands behind it. That gives our students and patients more confidence that what we’re doing will result in the best outcome.
We have quite the research enterprise here, especially in bone biology and craniofacial growth. I think the School of Dentistry is one of the most research-intensive institutions that I have been involved with. Now that the university has the R1 designation, we feel proud that we're a piece of that new acknowledgement as well.
What is something about you that may surprise people?
I love barbecue. I have a ceramic kamado smoker at home, and I’m always trying to perfect my barbecue. I’m always seeking the best way to make my ribs. I haven’t done burnt ends to the level of what we have in Kansas City, but I’ll be perfecting my barbecuing skills.
I’ve already started eating my way through Kansas City’s barbecue restaurants, five so far. When I came here, that was my first question to everybody, what's your favorite barbecue? Now I’ve established a list of places to try. I’m trying to do burnt ends and turkey at each place to make a complete comparison. Those two are my barometer of satisfaction.