Clifton O. Dummett, Sr. (1919–2011) was a noted American dentist, dental professor and dean, and dental historian.

Early life and education

Dummett was born in Georgetown on May 20, 1919 in what was then

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

. He studied at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

and

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...

, graduating from Roosevelt in 1941 with a BSc. He then earned his

Doctor of Dental Surgery A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world. Degrees Dental degrees may include: Bachelor's degree * Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) * Bachelor's degree of Dentistry (BDS ...

from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in 1942. He later earned a master's degree in periodontics from Northwestern University and a master's of public health from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He was the first African-American to earn a master's of public health.

Career

Dummett became dean of the

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first m ...

school of dentistry in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 1947, becoming the youngest dean in the United States at age 28. In 1949, he resigned his deanship at Meharry in protest of a regional plan for education in the southern states that would further promote racial inequality. After leaving Meharry, he became the chief of dental service at the

Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center The Tuskegee Veterans Administration Medical Center began in 1923 as an old soldiers' home in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was originally called the Tuskegee Home, part of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers system. The home-hospital, ev ...

. In 1954 he enlisted in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. In 1966 he was appointed chief of dental service at the Veterans Administration Research Hospital in Chicago, Illinois and associate professor of periodontics at Northwestern University. Also in 1966, he joined the faculty of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he stayed until his retirement in 1989. In 1969, Dummett was appointed president of the

International Association for Dental Research The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a professional association, founded in 1920 by William Gies, that focuses on research in the field of dentistry. The aim of this association by constitution is to promote research in all f ...

(IADR), and was the first African-American president of the association. Dummett authored over 300 articles in his academic career, and served as editor-in-chief of the

National Dental Association The National Dental Association (NDA) is a professional association of minority dentists based in Washington, D.C., and operating in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Formed in 1913, it is the largest such association in the world. A ...

for twenty-two years, beginning in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dummett, Clifton O. African-American dentists American dentistry academics 1919 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American dentists 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Guyanese emigrants to the United States Roosevelt University alumni Harvard University alumni Meharry Medical College faculty Northwestern University alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Southern California faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine