College of Dentistry

DMD Education

Excellent education, guided by and grounded in sound scientific evidence, develops students for success as skilled professionals and effective leaders.

Our goal is a learner-centered educational environment.

Faculty & Staff

Patricia Pereira, Associate Dean for Education & Associate Professor

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Patricial Pereira, D.D.S., Ph.D., is the Associate Dean for Education and an Associate Professor at the University of Florida College of Dentistry.

Censeri Abare, Academic OPS

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Censeri Abare joined the Office of Education for an encore in 2020 as an OPS. She is able to assist with student registration, rotation scheduling, course scheduling, room scheduling, academic record and certification for graduation.

Micaela Gibbs, Interim Chair of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences and Clinical Associate Professor

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Micaela Gibbs, D.D.S., M.H.A., has served on faculty in the Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences since 2003 where she has directed the college’s community-based programs since 2007. Gibbs oversees the UF Statewide Network for Community Oral Health and became the coordinator of Global Service Learning in 2018.

Gail Schneider Childs, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

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Gail Childs,R.D.H., M.P.H., T.T.S., is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the DMD program. She is responsible for course planning with faculty, overseeing the college’s curriculum management plan, including evaluations of courses, and supports the Curriculum Committee. She oversees and works in collaboration with the Office of Education’s Academic Assistant, Instructional Designer and Media Instructional staff to provide faculty support for teaching and learning. She joined the College of Dentistry in 1998.

Robert Caudle, Director of DMD Basic Sciences and Professor of Oral Biology

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Robert Caudle, Ph.D., serves as the Director of DMD Basic Sciences. His research examines the mechanisms of pain transmission and the molecular changes in the peripheral and central nervous systems that lead to chronic pain.

Margeaux Johnson, Instructional Designer

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Margeaux Johnson, B.A., M.L.S., is an instructional designer for the DMD program. She assists faculty with course design & development, e-learning courses in Canvas, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is available to consult with professors to design engaging learning activities, to evaluate technology tools for teaching, to update materials for accessibility requirements, and to facilitate focus groups about student experiences.

Christina Ryan, Academic Assistant

Email Christina Ryan or call 352.273.5950

Christina Haskins, B.A., B.S., became part of the Office of Education in 2004. She facilitates all ExamSoft exams and lends aid with Canvas quizzes. Additionally, she provides support for ECO, Qualtrics, Textbook Adoptions, GatorRater, classroom scheduling, course debriefings and the Curriculum Committee.

Valerie Trimble, Academic Assistant

Email Valerie Trimble or call 352.273.5950

Valerie Trimble, A.A., started working in the Office of Education in 2017. She serves as the clerical support for the office and schedules the classrooms in the College of Dentistry. She handles incoming degree verifications for UF DMD alums, provides the support role for the Student Performance Evaluation Committee, and monitors student grades and class records.

Ben Mertz, Instructional Support

Email Ben Mertz or call 352.273.6589

Ben Mertz joined the Office of Education in 2018. He maintains classroom and instructional technology, oversees lecture recording and posting using MediaSite and YouTube, and provides faculty and staff electronic classroom support.

Kleada Novak, Instructional Support OPS

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Shalini Patel, Instructional Support OPS

Email Shalini Patel.