Gail Rohlfing, DDS, has been named interim chair of the UNMC Department of Growth and Development.
UNMC College of Dentistry Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, announced the appointment in January.
Dr. Rohlfing is a 1993 UNMC College of Dentistry graduate and native of Roca, Nebraska. Upon completion of a three-year pediatric dentistry residency program at UNC-Chapel Hill, she earned her certificate in pediatric dentistry and post-doctoral Master of Science at UNC. She also is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She returned to UNMC in 2024 to join the UNMC College of Dentistry as a clinical instructor, and she teaches pediatric dental residents at Children’s Nebraska.
Dr. Rohlfing owned a large private pediatric dental practice in Winston Salem, North Carolina, for 30 years before returning to Nebraska as a part-time clinical instructor. It was there, she said, that she developed her care philosophy.
“The focus is on the child, not the tooth,” she said. “I want to know the child’s name. I want to know how old they are. I want to know who they’re here with, who brought them today. Then let’s get down to the teeth.”
Incorporating new technologies, systems, and clinical techniques in pediatric dentistry is one of Dr. Rohlfing’s strengths, Dr. Kugel said. She also advises pediatric dentists and residents on practice management and contract negotiations.
Although she was interested in dentistry at an early age – she remembers brushing her doll’s teeth — Dr. Rohlfing said the Children’s Dental Days she volunteered at as a UNMC student fueled her interest in pediatric dentistry. In her new role, she will oversee children’s dental outreach, beginning this month with a revamped Children’s Dental Day format. (See story in this issue of Impressions.)
She has previously served as President of the North Carolina Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and currently serves as a media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach. Using the Clifton Strengths platform, she advises pre-health students at several universities across the country.