The USC School of Dentistry has tapped current Interim Dean Dr. Yang Chai to continue in the position long-term, effective July 1.
USC also announced that Chai would be appointed as the G. Donald and Marian James Montgomery Professor of Dentistry.
Chai currently serves as the associate dean of research at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, and is the director of the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology. He specializes in stem cell research and studies the molecular and cellular mechanics of birth defects, and has written extensively about craniofacial development, the study of the brain and the face. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine honored Chai in 2023 with the Paul Goldhaber Award for his research on using stem cells for tissue regeneration. His work will lead to the first human clinical trials to help patients who have lost bone or have bone defects by regenerating their bone tissue.
Chai’s wife and daughters have also all studied at USC. His wife, Lihua Liu, is an associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine and she earned both her MS and PhD degrees at USC. Their daughters both received undergraduate degrees at USC and are continuing doctoral studies at the Keck School and the Herman Ostrow Schools.