DR. DONALD R. JOONDEPH ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF COMMISSION ON DENTAL ACCREDITATION

ST. LOUIS—Donald R. Joondeph, DDS, MS, was elected on August 6 to serve as the next chairman of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).  Dr. Joondeph has served as CODA’s commissioner from the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) since 2007.  He is the first commissioner representing orthodontics to be elected chairman under CODA’s current structure.  Dr. Joondeph’s one-year term as chairman of CODA begins following the October 12, 2010 conclusion of the American Dental Association’s Annual Session.

CODA was established in 1975 to accredit dental and dental-related education programs conducted at the post-secondary level.  It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

CODA is charged with serving the public through establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental-related education and reflect the evolving practice of dentistry.  The Commission’s structure includes representation by a variety of communities of interest.  It functions independently and autonomously in matters of developing and approving accreditation standards, making accreditation decisions on educational programs and developing and approving procedures that are used in the accreditation process.

“CODA protects the quality of patient care by ensuring the quality of dental education,” Dr. Joondeph said.  “Our mission is quality assurance in all aspects of dental education in the United States.”

Dr. Joondeph contributes to the dental profession and the orthodontic specialty in a variety of ways.  In addition to his work on CODA, he is the chairman of the AAO Task Force on Recruitment and Retention of Faculty.   The Task Force is developing sustainable solutions to the educational crisis that affects orthodontics and dentistry as a whole.  

Dr. Joondeph has been involved in orthodontic education since the 1970s.  He is a Professor Emeritus of Orthodontics at the University of Washington.  He was chair of the department from 1975 to 1984.

Dr. Joondeph was AAO president for 2006-07 and a member of the AAO Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2008.  He is a past president of several organizations, including the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO), the Northwest Component of the Edward H. Angle Society, the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists and the Washington State Society of Orthodontists.

Dr. Joondeph was awarded the 1972 Milo Hellman Research Award by the AAO while he was a Fellow at the University of Washington.  He has presented both the Jacob A. Salzmann and John Valentine Mershon Memorial Lectures at AAO Annual Sessions.  The ABO recognized his outstanding service by presenting him with the Albert H. Ketcham Award in 2003.

A Diplomate of the ABO, Dr. Joondeph combines his faculty responsibilities with a private orthodontic practice in Bellevue, Wash. 

About the AAO

The AAO is a professional association of educationally qualified orthodontic specialists dedicated to ethically advancing the art and science of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics and improving the health of the public by promoting quality orthodontic care.

Recognized by the American Dental Association, the AAO has 16,000 members in the United States, Canada and abroad.  It is the oldest and largest dental specialty organization in the world.  

The AAO maintains a public Web site, www.braces.org <http://www.braces.org> , and an industry Web site, www.AAOinfo.org <http://www.AAOinfo.org> .