J. Stansill Covington III, DDS, MS, FRSM (London), has been named interim dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Dr. Covington, who previously has been associate dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, is the first alumnus of the college to serve as dean.
A respected administrator and educator, Dr. Covington has been a department chair in two UTHSC colleges. He was the chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene in what was then the College of Allied Health Sciences, and the chair of the Department of Biologic and Diagnostic Sciences in the College of Dentistry.
He has twice received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the UTHSC Student Government Association Executive Council, one of the most prestigious awards a faculty member can win.
Dr. Covington has been honored with the College of Dentistry Distinguished Faculty Award, and is a past president of the Memphis Dental Society. He is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and The Royal Society of Medicine in London.
A native Memphian, Dr. Covington received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mississippi in 1974, a Master of Science degree from then-Memphis State University in 1977, and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the UTHSC College of Dentistry in 1981. He began working part time at UTHSC after graduation to complete research on a grant from the National Institutes of Health he received as a student. He joined the faculty full time in 1986.