Dr. Luisa DiPietro has been appointed the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry’s first Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. She began this new leadership role in a visiting appointment pending the approval of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
In her new role, Dr. DiPietro works with Department Heads, Associate Deans, and Dean Bruce Graham to develop and enhance programs for faculty, including faculty orientation, professional development, mentoring, evaluation, recognition, and tenure and promotion. Dr. Dr. DiPietro also assists in the development of best practices for faculty recruitment and retention, and works in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Student Affairs to enhance faculty diversity. Under Dr. DiPietro’s leadership, “the Office of Faculty Affairs will serve as a source of information for faculty on relevant UIC policies and on local and national opportunities for professional development,” Dr. Graham said.
“The Office of Faculty Affairs was created to take on several roles that are important to faculty development and faculty activity at the College and that previously were handled by a variety of administrators,” Dr. DiPietro explained.
On Dr. DiPietro’s agenda are providing workshops on promotion and tenure and a faculty mentoring program.
“The office will be a one-stop source of information for anything faculty need to know about policies, promotion and tenure, family leave, retirement, and more,” she said.
She also will help faculty transition into new positions, such as moving from a primarily research to a primarily academic or clinical role, for example.
Dr. DiPietro’s office also will assist in recruitment and retention. “There hasn’t been a centralized resource to help in recruiting new faculty, and the office will provide information showcasing UIC and the many impressive facts about the College,” she explained. “We’ll also help get a varied pool of applicants to increase our faculty diversity.”
An alumna of the College, Dr. DiPietro received both her DDS and PhD in Immunology from UIC. Following positions at Northwestern and Loyola, Dr. DiPietro joined the College in 2006 to establish the Center for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration; Dr. DiPietro will continue to be in charge of the center. In addition to her research and teaching endeavors, Dr. DiPietro has a long-standing interest and involvement in activities related to mentoring, diversity, and faculty affairs.
Both at UIC and elsewhere, Dr. DiPietro has organized and facilitated workshops on junior faculty development, faculty mentoring, salary equity, and career development. Within the College, she has served as an elected member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and as Chair of the Diversity Advisory Committee. At the university level, Dr. DiPietro is a current member of both the Center for Clinical and Translational Science Mentoring Academy and the Provost’s Committee on Faculty Mentoring, and has served as the chair of the Faculty Concerns Subcommittee of the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women.
“The new office will be a resource for both faculty and administration that will help our faculty be the best they can be, and will support them in their professional efforts,” Dr. DiPietro concluded. “My door is always open for anyone—faculty, staff, and students, for conversations about anything that is important to their success at COD.”
Dr. DiPietro can be reached at (312) 355-0432 or by e-mail at Ldipiet@uic.edu.
