Bulletin of Dental Education Article
Archive
In Memory of Dr. Richard R. Ranney
It is with sadness to share the passing of Richard R. Ranney, D.D.S., M.S., at the age of 85. Dr. Ranney received his D.D.S. degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and his M.S. and certificate in periodontics from Eastman Dental Center, University of Rochester. He had a distinguished career in dentistry, serving as dean of two dental schools: the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Maryland College of Dentistry. He served as president of both the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR).
Richard Raymond Ranney was born in Atlanta, GA, in 1939, and grew up in Rolfe, IA. Dr. Ranney entered the University of Iowa in 1957 and received his D.D.S. in 1963. After a rotating internship at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in San Francisco and two years as the dental officer at the U.S. Public Health Service outpatient clinic in Cincinnati, OH, he entered the periodontics training program at the University of Rochester Medical Center Eastman Institute for Oral Health in Rochester, NY. In 1969, he received his certificate in periodontics together with a master’s degree from the University of Rochester.
Dr. Ranney served on faculties of four dental schools: the University of Oregon Dental School from 1969-72, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry (VCU SOD) from 1972-86, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry (UAB SOD) from 1986-91, and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) from 1991-2005. At VCU SOD, he served as Director of the Advanced Dental Education Program in Periodontics, Chairman of Periodontics, Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs and as Director for Clinical Research Center for Periodontal Diseases. This center was one of the first three specialized clinical research centers funded by National Institute of Dental Research, now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) helped support Dr. Ranney’s research from 1970 until he left research for administration in 1986. He served as dean of the UAB SOD from 1986-89 and UMSOD from 1991-2002. At UMSOD, he saw the school’s research support from NIH surge from middle-of-the-pack to second among all dental educational institutions. He also was instrumental in attracting $120 million in funding from the state of Maryland and earning a $2 million-dollar grant from NIH to finance UMSOD’s new building that opened in 2006. The school named the dean’s conference room in that building after Dr. Ranney.
Dr. Ranney contributed more than 160 articles and abstracts to the professional and scientific literature and made more than 120 professional presentations on the microbiology, immunology, clinical genetics and clinical aspects of the periodontal diseases and, more recently, on dental education and licensure. He served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Periodontal Research, Journal of Dental Research, Infection and Immunity, Journal of Periodontology and Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
Dr. Ranney served as president of the AADOCR from 1990-91 and IADR from 1995-96. In 1991, he was chairman of the Gordon Research Conferences on Periodontal Diseases. In 2003, he was Senior Policy Fellow and the Gies Education Fellow in 2004 for the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).
He is a member of several other professional associations, including the American Dental Association and American Academy of Periodontology, and served on numerous committees.
Since 2005, Dr. Ranney has been a member of the Eastman Dental Foundation Board, was a senior consultant to the Academy for Advancing Leadership in Atlanta, GA, as was professor emeritus at UMSOD.
His honors include a fellowship in the American and International Colleges of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Balint Orban Memorial Program (Orban Competition) from the American Academy of Periodontology, the Basic Research in Periodontology Award from IADR, a Presidential Citation from ADEA, the award of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and, in 2008, Alumnus of the Year from the University of Iowa Dental Alumni Association.
Dr. Ranney resided in Mineral, VA, with his wife, Patricia. They have four children and eight grandchildren.
Published on December 11, 2024