By SHANNON O. WELLS
Several years ago, Marnie Oakley was a part-time faculty member in the School of Dental Medicine while also providing dentistry services at a few private practices. Between those duties and raising two small children, she was, to say the least, stretched a bit thin.
With some prompting from her husband, she came to accept that some professional streamlining was in order.
“He said, ‘You have to pick something. You’re making everybody crazy. You’re just doing too many things,’ ” Oakley recalled. “And I said, ‘You’re right! I’m really gonna miss my time at Pitt.”
Well, not quite. “He said, ‘I’m not gonna let you (choose) private practice. You are really happy with your work at Pitt, and your contributions there. … I think that’s what we need as a family.’ ”
Recognizing the truth behind his entreaty, Oakley still considered the financial implications of leaving private practice for the less lucrative world of academia. “Immediately I responded with, ‘Can we afford that?’ He said, ‘We’ll make it work.’ ”
Since that pivotal family decision, Oakley has done her part to do just that. And if her recent appointment as dean of the dental school is any indication, it appears she chose the wiser path.
“(It’s) a bit surreal on a personal level,” she said of the promotion. “When I was 14 years old, I traveled many weekends from (hometown) Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, with my parents to see my older brother play football at Pitt. I was fortunate to complete my undergraduate education and dental school training at Pitt. So, being named dean is a true professional honor.”
Oakley, who had served as interim dean of the dental school since September 2022, was named dean and president of University Dental Health Services, effective Oct. 1. An associate professor of restorative dentistry and comprehensive care, she became interim dean when Bernard Costello was named associate vice chancellor for health science integration.
She also served as interim dean for several months in 2021 when Costello went on voluntary administrative leave for personal reasons. Those two leadership stints reaped benefits on multiple levels.
“Most importantly, we are now able to take full advantage of the momentum we started in those 18 divided months,” she said. “We have an outstanding team of committed people here that are doing great work in pursuit of our mission of improving oral health.
“We also had the opportunity to recruit some top-tier leaders to fill vacancies on our team,” Oakley added. “They are bringing new ideas, and there is real positive energy around the work we are doing together.”
In addition to her experience and deep history with Pitt, Oakley believes her affinity for bringing the right people, skills and talents together will enhance her new role.
“Creating collaborations with others seems to come natural to me,” she said. “Spending nearly a decade teaching leadership topics to dental academicians and leaders across the country has allowed me to have several strong and longstanding relationships with our peers.
“Even though we are different schools, we work together well,” she added. “We offer support to one another, and our trust in one another helps foster enormous creativity. … We have amazing people. In fact, the people I work with are a true blessing in my professional and personal life.”
Commitment to community
Earning her bachelor’s degree in biology and her doctor of medicine in dentistry degree from Pitt, Oakley began her professional career with a four-year tour as a U.S. Navy dental officer. Her military experience “drives my strong work ethic and ability to succeed, despite the challenges,” she said.
While working in private practice in 1996, she joined Pitt’s dental medicine school as a clinical instructor in the Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology. Four years later, she was appointed assistant professor in the Division of Restorative Dental Sciences. In 2005, Oakley was appointed chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Comprehensive Care.
She said that different parts of her brain drew her into dentistry. “I always loved the sciences, the idea that I could help others, and had an affinity for art,” she said.
“Many people forget just how important dexterity skills are to the dental profession. It is equally important to adopt the skills to successfully work in millimeters as it is to critically think your way through the science of disease processes and treatment.”
Oakley intends to continue the program’s commitment to care equity and dental education in the Pittsburgh community and beyond.
“We’ve always been committed to advancing oral health through service to our patients (and) are committed to offering excellence in care to all our neighbors,” she said, noting the school supports efforts like the Pittsburgh Mission of Mercy “and many others,” offering nearly $5 million in free or reduced cost care each year.
The school plans to expand its footprint and reach to the community, especially in rural areas where care access is a significant challenge.
“Our profession, both locally and nationally, has experienced a significant loss of dental assistants and dental hygienists since the pandemic,” Oakley said. “In order to meet the basic needs of our population of patients, we needed to see growth in these service lines (rather than) a dramatic decrease.
“We are developing new and creative programs to address these needs and improve access to care throughout the commonwealth,” she added.
Other challenges are rooted in new technologies driving a rapid pace of change. Digital dentistry, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality are all creating new opportunities, she said, “and our position as leaders in dental education require us to stay at the forefront of the use of this technology to improve the lives of our patients.”
‘Evoking the best’
Thomas Braun, who retired as dean of the dental school in 2018 after 18 years in the role, saw Oakley’s evolution in academic dentistry in real time.
“She has repeatedly demonstrated the one skill which is required to advance the school into the future: leadership,” said Braun, who joined the dental school faculty in 1977. “Dr. Oakley is tireless, resourceful, collaborative and transparent, evoking the best in those around her.”
Noting the “difficult task” Oakley faces in securing the school’s “long overdue and very much needed new clinical facility,” Braun said she has “already proven her ability to advance the school — as evidenced by her recruitment of several high-quality department chairs and program directors — while she was serving as interim dean.
“I am confident she will preserve and advance the school of dental medicine’s past accomplishments,” he added, “and lead the school well into the future.”
As it happens, Oakley has plenty of ideas on how to do that, some of which already have clear support from her colleagues.
“I have so many plans for us as we step forward,” she said, noting that school leaders gathered last year to identify topics they agreed should be “top of mind” in allocating time, talents and resources.
“We have agreed to focus on improving our student experience, our patient experience, our culture, our research, our alumni relations, our fiscal strength, and our legacy,” she added. “We simply have endless possibilities.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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