University of Florida College of Dentistry’s Ana P. Dias Ribeiro, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dental Sciences Division of Operative Dentistry, has been awarded the inaugural Marc A. Gale Term Professorship award, established by donors and practicing dentists to honor the legacy of long-time UFCD educator Marc A. Gale, D.M.D.
The Marc A. Gale Term Professorship is a two-year professorship awarded to a full-time faculty member in the Division of Operative Dentistry at the college who demonstrates leadership and innovation in teaching and contributes to the clinical instruction of the D.M.D. program.
Ribeiro certainly fits the bill with an extensive and impressive record of leadership and scholarly contributions to dental education and the UF College of Dentistry.
Since joining the UFCD faculty, Ribeiro has served as a course director, a pre-clinical and clinical instructor, class advisor and lecturer. She was recently nominated as the director of the curriculum in the Department of Restorative Dental Sciences and was actively involved in the college’s tutoring program, accepting responsibility to calibrate faculty, tutors and teaching assistants by organizing small workshops and aligning expectations between tutees, tutors and faculty. She received the 2018 Exemplary Teaching Award at the College of Dentistry, one of the University of Florida’s Superior Accomplishment Awards in 2019, and most recently was bestowed a 2020 Sustained Exemplary Teaching Award from the college.
“I feel so honored to be the first recipient of the Marc A. Gale Term Professorship,” Ribeiro said. “I met Dr. Gale back in 2016 when I first started here as junior faculty. Since then, Marc has taken me under his wing and been a true inspiration. He has mentored me from afar, listened to my thoughts and ideas, and provided his feedback. I love teaching so much, and I know he shares the same passion. We both have a drive to improve teaching and make each learning experience unique to help our students grow. I appreciate all that he has done for me, and this award validates that we are making a true impact through innovative teaching.”
Ribeiro, who served as the D.M.D. Class of 2020 faculty advisor, was just honored by UFCD’s second-year dental students to be the Class of 2023 faculty advisor. She received her dental degree from the University of Brasilia, Brazil, in 2006 and earned her master’s degree, a certificate and doctorate in oral rehabilitation from the Araraquara Dental School at Sao Paulo State University-UNESP in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Ribeiro was a visiting periodontics research scholar in 2011 at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and became a tenured professor in the University of Brasilia’s department of dentistry in 2012 before making Gainesville home and joining the faculty of the UFCD department of restorative dental sciences as a clinical assistant professor in 2016.
“Dr. Marc Gale’s passion for teaching excellence was evident every single day of his career,” Deborah Dilbone, D.M.D., chair of the Department of Restorative Dental Sciences said. “He continued to work even after his retirement to help our faculty revise and update our teaching methods in an effort to stay current with the changing generation. Dr. Ana Ribeiro certainly follows his example with her desire to make every student experience a rich one. She is equally passionate about teaching excellence and works tirelessly to help students, faculty, teaching assistants and tutors.”
In 2017, Ribeiro was honored with one of the American Dental Education Association’s professional development scholarships for the ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning and she has been appointed as a member of several different faculty committees at the college: Designing Chairs and Deans Evaluations Workgroup; Faculty Practice Workgroup; Prevention, Maintenance, and Supportive Care Workgroup; INBDE Transition Plan Workgroup, and the college’s Faculty Calibration Workgroup. She is actively involved in dental materials research in the area of adhesives, caries management and minimally-invasive dentistry involving direct and indirect adhesive procedures.
Ribeiro is an active member of the Research Committee, has served as the secretary of Faculty Assembly, vice-chair and chair of the Student Affairs Committee, and vice-chair of the Curriculum Committee. At a national and international level, she is a member of the Fellowship Committee for the International Association for Dental Research and the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education Liaison for UFCD. Ribeiro is a member of a number of various professional national and international organizations, and is a reviewer of several international journals. She has also published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented many scientific papers and continuing education courses.
The long-term goal for the Marc A. Gale Term Professorship is to establish an endowed professorship requiring a minimum $1 million in gifts to support the professorship. While the college continues to fundraise to reach the endowed professorship goal, the fund will be used to support an annual term professorship award.
Gale left a lasting legacy at the College of Dentistry as an educator for more than 40 years. From mentoring students and helping guide others to financial resources, he has maintained a rigorous commitment over the years to tutoring hundreds of aspiring dental professionals. Not one dental student passed through the college’s doors without being influenced by Gale’s passion and commitment to dental education. In May 2016, he officially retired but his dedication to the college, and to dental education and students, will never fully retire.
If you are interested in contributing to the Marc A. Gale Endowed Professorship fund, please contact Rick Miller, Senior Director of Advancement with the UF College of Dentistry, at 352-273-5779.