Eric Rooney, deputy CDO for NHS England, has been appointed honorary clinical professor at the University of Central Lancashire.
The university believes this new appointment will allow Eric Rooney to work more closely with the School of Dentistry at the university, in order to improve the quality of dental care in the north west.
‘Eric’s work, predominantly in the field of dental public health, has long been recognised within the sector where he has made a significant impact on dental strategy at both regional and national levels,’ head of the UCLan School of Dentistry, Angela Magee, said.
‘What people may not realise however, is that there would quite simply be no dental school at UCLan were it not for Eric’s absolute commitment and drive to spearhead, on behalf of the NHS, the initiative to ensure that NHS dentists would be trained in areas of high dental need within this region.
‘The ensuing higher education and NHS partnership saw a successful bid to create the UCLan Dental School, which opened in 2008.
‘Since that time the school has gone from strength to strength and Eric has continued to provide active support, both through stakeholder engagement and direct contribution to academic delivery.’
Changing health needs
Professor Rooney said: ‘I am delighted to have been offered this honorary professorship and hope I can continue to support the development of the School of Dentistry within the university, ensuring that our graduates are exposed to the variety of career options available to them and are well prepared to deal with the changing health needs of our population.’
