Dr. Lynne Opperman Named Interim Dean of Texas A&M Dentistry

Lynne Opperman, Ph.D.

Lynne Opperman, Ph.D., was named Interim Dean of the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (Texas A&M Dentistry) and assumed her new role on June 2. She oversees Texas A&M Dentistry while a search is conducted to fill the position permanently. 

A Regents Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Opperman is a distinguished scholar who has served in research and faculty roles for more than 30 years. She is the owner/manager of Craniotech ACR Devices, LLC; holder of multiple patents related to her research; and previously served in faculty roles at Texas A&M Dentistry and as Assistant Professor (research) in the University of Virginia Department of Plastic Surgery. 

Dr. Opperman has significant leadership experience at the national level, having been elected as president of several national associations. She has been honored by being designated a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for Anatomy. 

A native of Johannesburg, she earned an undergraduate degree in zoology and a doctorate in developmental biology from the University of the Witwatersrand.

“I am privileged to continue the work of our previous deans in building this college to its full potential and am grateful for the trust and support shown from fellow faculty, staff and students at Texas A&M, the Health Science Center and the College as we proceed on this journey,” says Dr. Opperman.

She replaces Lawrence Wolinsky, D.M.D., Ph.D., who stepped down as Dean of the dental college on June 1. He will continue in an advisory capacity with the Texas A&M Health Science Center this summer and began his appointment as a professor in the college’s Periodontics Department on June 1.

“I have been honored to have had the opportunity to work closely with an amazing group of faculty, staff, students and alumni,” Dr. Wolinsky says.

His 10-year tenure at the dental school has been marked with numerous accomplishments, most notably the January 2020 opening of the college’s new Clinic and Education Building and the March 2021 dedication of the M.C. Cooper Dental Clinic in South Dallas. 

Courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry