Artinger to become Associate Dean for Research

Kristin Bruk Artinger, PhD, will become Associate Dean for Research at the School of Dentistry in January. Dean Keith Mays, DDS, MS, PhD, announced Artinger’s arrival at an all-school staff and faculty retreat in September.

Artinger comes to the school from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, where she is a professor in the Department of Craniofacial Biology and graduate program director at the Anschutz Medical Campus. She previously served as Vice Chair for the Department of Craniofacial Biology and Chair of the Deans Executive Committee. Artinger earned a PhD at the University of California in Irvine, California where she also received her BS. She then completed postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical school. She started her lab at the University of Colorado in 2002 and has built a highly collaborative research laboratory focused on understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in the development of the neural crest.

She currently serves as Deputy Editor of Birth Defects Research and on the editorial board of several scientific journals. In her role as program director, she is committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists where she provides strong mentorship to first year graduate students, leads holistic recruiting efforts to support recruitment of diverse students, and established strong grant writing workshops to help trainees be competitive for fellowships.

Artinger will replace David Bereiter, PhD, who has held the interim role since 2017. Bereiter remains in his role as professor of basic sciences, where he researches the peripheral and central mechanisms of craniofacial pain, especially ocular pain and pain referred to the temporomandibular joint region.

Artinger is passionate about research and science. “I have always been curious about the world around me, and want to understand how things work,” she said. “Research gives me the opportunity to discover something new every day. I am grateful that I can continue to do this as my job.”

In her new role, Artinger will oversee research activities and set forth a vision for the school’s scientific discovery. She particularly looks forward to investing in the school’s five areas of research expertise, the DDS/PhD training program and the T32/T90/R90 training grants.

“My vision is centered around four key areas,” she explained. “Increase the interaction between the areas of expertise and with clinical researchers, work toward an inclusive workforce by increasing diversity and awareness, develop innovative approaches and increase interactions with the Office of Technology Development, and increase the impact of research by determining ways to translate findings into the clinic, industry and society.”

Most of all, Artinger is looking forward to the new role, and the growth it will provide. And she is thrilled to continue pursuing what she loves.

“I am excited to take on this new role,” she said. “I was attracted to this position because of the top-rate research taking place in the school, and the opportunity to continue to build and grow the research further around the areas of expertise. I am honored to have this opportunity to develop as a leader and a scientist.”