Veselicky named HSC associate VP of academic programs

Louise T. Veselicky, D.D.S., M.D.S., M.Ed., professor in the WVU School of Dentistry, has been named associate vice president of academic programs for the Health Sciences Center by Vice President and Executive Dean of Health Sciences Clay Marsh, M.D. She has held this position on an interim basis since Oct. 1, 2014.

In addition to oversight of all HSC academic programs, Dr. Veselicky’s responsibilities involve global engagement, simulation learning, HSC library, HSTA, rural health, interprofessional education and faculty development, including the promotion and tenure process. She will work with all the HSC Schools and regional campuses and will serve as a member of the HSC Executive Committee. Veselicky will also be responsible for continuing the ongoing effort to further integrate the HSC into the overall University mission.

"Louise has an exceptional ability to be a strong advocate for faculty and students while maintaining the highest standards for WVU Health Sciences," Dr. Marsh said. "She is an expert – purpose-driven and service-oriented for others, and we are very fortunate to have her in this position for the Health Science Center and the University. Please join me in congratulating Louise on this very well deserved promotion."

Veselicky received her dental and dental hygiene degrees from the WVU School of Dentistry, and a master’s with specialty training in periodontics as well as a master’s in education from the University of Pittsburgh. She served as dental and dental hygiene faculty both at the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University. In addition to her clinical, educational and scholarly work responsibilities as a faculty member, she has served in multiple leadership positions within the School of Dentistry including interim chair of the Department of Periodontics (twice), interim associate dean of clinical affairs, senior associate dean and interim dean, a post she held for more than four years.

During her academic career, Veselicky was a member of a team of professionals, in and out of government, who developed West Virginia’s first State Oral Health Plan. She was an invited discussant to the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Oral Health Access to Services, and she served as the president of the Supreme Chapter of OKU, the National Dental Honor Society. Veselicky has worked with physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals at WVU and throughout West Virginia to develop evidence-based approaches to include oral health as a vital component of overall health through multiple professional educational programs, publications, curriculum development and implementation plans.

An inductee into the WVU Academy of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 2013, Veselicky received the WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award for her outstanding contributions to dentistry and for her accomplishments in West Virginia and nationally. She has earned the WVU School of Dentistry Outstanding Teacher Award.

Dr. Veselicky’s goals for the HSC, as part of One WVU, are to advance academic excellence, engage faculty and staff, and prepare students to make a real difference in the lives and health of those we serve.