Faculty and Staff

Excelling in Teaching & in Serving

The Department of Dental Hygiene employs some of the best faculty members in the state of Tennessee. We have several full-time and adjunct faculty members. All of the full-time faculty have or are completing their Master's Degrees. All faculty members excel in teaching and in service.

Dr. Marian Patton, Department Head, is a graduate of Temple University. She has been involved in dental hygiene education since 1974, which began at Community College of Philadelphia. It is there, that she was responsible for the development of a career-ladder program encompassing dental assisting and dental hygiene education. Email: mpatton@tnstate.edu

Gary-Lee A. Lewis Gary is a native of London, England who moved to the United States in 1984 and made Baltimore, Maryland his place of residence. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 1992. Gary received his Dental Hygiene Degree from Tennessee State University/Meharry Medical College.

He became a faculty member of the Tennessee State University Department of Dental Hygiene in May of 2000 and currently teaches Clinical Dental Hygiene, Radiology and Tooth Morphology to freshman and sophomore dental hygiene students. He is a member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. He has served in the capacity of Public Relations Chairman for both the Tennessee Dental Hygienists' Association and the Tennessee Academy of Dental Hygiene. He is a Past-President of the Nashville Area Dental Hygiene Society. He is an Assistant Professor and has a Master's Degree in Education with a concentration in Educational Technology. Email: galewis@tnstate.edu

Departmental Photo Carla has been a faculty member in the department of dental hygiene for 27 years and currently holds the position of Assistant Professor. She is a 1969 honor graduate of Meharry Medical College Dental Hygiene Program. She coordinates department admissions, freshman level courses, and Periodontics. Carla is also the advisor of the student professional organization- Student American Dental Hygienists' Association (SADHA), and advisor of pre-dental hygiene students. She is a member of Sigma Phi Alpha, Dental Hygiene Honor Society, the American Dental Hygienists' Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Email: cnewbern@tnstate.edu

Janice M. Williams is a Registered Dental Hygienists who graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene. She received her Master of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene from Old Dominion University where she served as a clinical faculty member during her graduate teaching assistantship.

During her time at Old Dominion, Janice worked on various community projects and was awarded the Lindsey L. Rettie College of Health Science Research Award for her graduate project titled: Periodontal Disease as a Risk Factor for Systemic Diseases: Implications for Dental Hygiene Practice. She is a current member of her professional organization, the American Dental Hygienists' Association, and is a Past - Vice-President of the Nashville Area Dental Hygiene Society.

Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dental Hygiene where she's involved in various projects. One includes, a Geriatric Education Grant, which allows her to be able to provide educational presentations to the medical and dental community regarding oral health for the elderly. She teaches Radiology, Community Dentistry and Clinical Dental Hygiene Practices to freshman and sophomore dental hygiene students. Email: jwilliams128@tnstate.edu

Departmental Photo A graduate of Meharry Medical College Division of Dental Hygiene in 1972, Rosalyn received a BS degree in Health Care Administration and Planning in 1980. She received a Master of Public Administration in 1981. She has been employed within the Department of Dental Hygiene since 1980 and currently teaches Ethics and Clinical Dental Hygiene. Email: rword@tnstate.edu

Part-Time Faculty Members

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Mattie Davis, Administrative Assistant, mbdavis@tnstate.edu

CLINICAL STAFF

Sunza Jones
Clinic Assistant
sjones36@tnstate.edu

webpage contact:
Dental Hygiene Dept