32 page magazine features research of faculty and students. Special focus on VCU Phillips Institute.

1. Winter 2010
Discovering the future
Profound changes will come from scientific discovery.

2. Jack OF
Trades AL L
When it comes to research, Dr. Jack Gunsolley will tell you,
“I’m not the idea guy. I am the guy who gets things done.” Or put
another way, to paraphrase the series of BASF television com-
mercials, “Jack doesn’t conceive the research, he makes the
research better.” Dr. Gunsolley’s career in academic dentistry
spans over 20 years of teaching, service, and research, and
despite his personal humility, he does much more than “get
things done.”
“Jack is a faculty member who does everything you’d ever
ask of a faculty member,” said Dean Ron Hunt. “He serves on
university committees, pulls extra time in the clinics, mentors
junior faculty, and does it willingly and cheerfully. He understands
the collaborative nature of both research and scholarship.”
Dr. Gunsolley began his career in academic dentistry at VCU
in 1986 as a research assistant and subsequently earned his cer-
tificate in periodontology and a master of science degree in bio-
statistics. Until the mid-1990s, he taught at the VCU School of
Dentistry in the Department of Periodontology while holding an
affiliate appointment in the Department of Biostatistics in the
School of Basic Sciences.
Throughout the span of his academic career, Dr. Gunsolley
has taught, lectured, and directed courses in everything from
statistics and research methods to graduate periodontics. No
matter what course he teaches, however, he emphasizes the
importance of looking at the data. “Our graduates will be prac-
ticing dentistry in a world of rapid scientific advances,” Dr.
Gunsolley said. “They will need to be able to evaluate, ‘Is this
6 VCU SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY • www.dentistry.vcu.edu

3. tool necessary? Does this therapy work?’ I want them to leave
here with the ability to make decisions for the well-being of
patients based on data.”
In 1996, Dr. Gunsolley left VCU to become the department
chair at the University of Maryland, but because he felt research
faculty at VCU were more productive through their collegiality,
Dr. Gunsolley is one of
he returned to Richmond 10 years later. the hardest workers I
Always a leader in clinical research, Dr. Gunsolley currently know. He works tire-
serves as the director of the school’s Clinical Research Unit lessly to improve the
where he runs clinical trials for corporate research. He was the
director of the Center for Clinical Studies at the University of
education of dental stu-
Maryland, and before that, he worked as the director of applied dents and periodontics
research at VCU. residents in patient care
Because he understands junior faculty often don’t have time and research. He also
to attend school and university committee meetings, Dr. directs the Clinical
Gunsolley frequently volunteers to serve on committees involv-
ing research and scholarship. With characteristic humor, he
Research Unit and helps
jokes that it isn’t so bad. “When all the committees meet at the faculty throughout the
same time,” he said, “I can attend one committee meeting, but school in their efforts to
get ‘credit’ for serving on three.” obtain industrial funding
Dr. Gunsolley’s research activities have been awarded fed-
eral and commercial dollars. He has obtained funding for 38
for clinical research
grants, serving as principal investigator on 18 of those grants. projects.”
With more than 96 published articles, he has attained the goal
Dr. Harvey Schenkein,
of a publication in every sub-discipline of dentistry. Each of his
publications is multi-authored. He has published journal arti- Assistant Dean
cles with dozens of different authors, which is a true measure for Research
of his ability as an effective collaborator.
Currently, Dr. Gunsolley does literature reviews and meta-
analyses in which the results from multiple studies are combined
statistically to give the analysis more power. This kind of sophisti-
cated thinking is vitally important to evidence-based dentistry.
Researchers and colleagues at VCU and from other universities
look to Dr. Gunsolley to help them with their studies.
“Jack Gunsolley has been the driving force behind many
collaborative initiatives at the national level,” commented Dr.
John Novak, Associate Director of the Center for Oral Health
Research at the University of Kentucky. “We recently completed
a collaboration that brought together the University of Kentucky,
University of Maryland, and VCU in an NIH-funded project with
the National Institute on Aging. Jack’s insight into clinical and
basic science research and his ability to apply advanced bio-
statistical models have set new standards for oral health
research. There are many universities that would love to have
him as part of their faculty.”
Winter 2010 7