The University of Florida College of Dentistry, or UFCD, hosted a celebratory launch reception on Tuesday, Sept. 16, for the official introduction of its 2025 Strategic Plan: “Aspire, Innovate, Build.” The event brought together UFCD faculty, staff, students, residents and special guests who each contributed in some way to the fruition of this project.
In her welcoming remarks, Dean Isabel Garcia, D.D.S., M.P.H., expressed excitement and gratitude for our college community’s efforts toward strategic planning and the bright future the plan helps map. She acknowledged the efforts of Roger B. Fillingim, Ph.D., associate dean of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, who led the development of the strategic plan, and Chief of Staff Christina Perez, Ph.D., who played a central role in facilitating the process.
“This is not a strategic plan that will gather dust,” Garcia said. “It is something that will be very active and an important part of guiding our work.”
UFCD’s 2025 Strategic Plan represents a masterfully orchestrated collective effort that began in mid-2024. The result: a polished blueprint to cement UFCD’s role as a national leader in dental education, patient care and innovative research.
The plan outlines goals and strategies across six key domains: Education & Training; Patient Care; Research, Scholarship & Creative Works; Infrastructure & Technology; Service; and Interpersonal & Professional Culture.
Garcia highlighted several throughlines attendees and UFCD community members may notice within the strategic plan:
“Being an evidence-based, data-driven entity, embracing the transformative potential of new technology and continuing to build on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary collaboration are central to our mission,” Garcia said. “And most importantly, the plan centers on people, on you, with strategies to support growth, well-being and professional fulfillment.”
The process of the strategic plan development involved over 300 participants through surveys, focus groups and review sessions.
“All good things are done collectively with the help of lots of people,” Garcia said. “This is the result of deep listening and thoughtful collaborations, and a collective commitment of excellence.”
Fillingim echoed Garcia’s gratitude for this communal effort toward the creation of the strategic plan.
“We have incredibly talented, smart, committed people from top to bottom who contributed to this process, and I’m confident they will continue to contribute to its successful implementation,” he said.
Fillingim, who joined UFCD in 2000, has a track record of successful leadership, including founding and directing the UF Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, or PRICE. His experience in data collection and interpretation plays a critical role in evaluating the strength of our missions and identifying areas for improvement.
The Strategic Plan Implementation Coordination Executive Committee, or SPICE, will oversee the plan’s implementation with Fillingim leading their efforts.
“We’re going to attempt to keep the strategic plan in front of all of us for the years to come, reminding us of how our work relates back to the objectives we’ve articulated, so that we all can identify with the plan and recognize how it’s being used to guide our work and decision-making,” Fillingim said.
During his remarks, Fillingim recognized the integral value that UFCD Data Management Analyst Camila Carvajal is bringing to this stage of implementation by creating dashboards to track and report progress.
“So, when somebody says to you, ‘How are we doing with our strategic plan?’ you’ll actually be able to answer them with data and outcomes,” Fillingim said.
Garcia concluded her remarks with an optimistic outlook on the future this strategic plan has the power to lead us into.
“With the same spirit of collaboration and innovation that got us to this point, we will make great strides in the years ahead,” she said. “Thank you for being part of this journey.”
