Get to know Distinguished Alumni Awardee Gary Anderson

Gary Anderson, DDS ’80, MS ’83, is the 2022 recipient of the School of Dentistry Distinguished Dental Alumni Award.

The Distinguished Dental Alumni Award is an honor given annually to an outstanding alumnus or alumna in recognition of exceptional achievement. Candidates must be a graduate of any program of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and are judged based on their participation, service, and leadership in the advancement of dentistry and dental health, their public service, community service, and/or civic affairs, and their dedication to continuing education.

The School of Dentistry Alumni Society Honors Task Force chose Anderson based on his commitments to community involvement, public service and leadership.

Anderson retired in October 2023 as a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in the Department of Developmental Surgical Sciences. 

“I walked onto campus in 1976, and I’ve been coming to this building every day since,” Anderson reflected.

For 40 years, he has held positions at the School of Dentistry including Dean, Interim Dean, Senior Associate Dean, Interim Chair and Chair of Developmental and Surgical Sciences, Program Director of the Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Anomalies Program, Co-Director of the TMD and Orofacial Pain Clinic, interim department chair and more. Anderson also began practicing clinically with HealthPartners in 1984, where he treated patients until 2020. He has directed, co-directed or lectured in many TMD & orofacial pain, occlusion, craniofacial, evidence-based dentistry, and prosthodontic courses at the pre-doctoral, graduate, and post-graduate levels, and has mentored or served as a thesis advisor for multiple students, both pre- and graduate level. His research has resulted in more than 40 publications and 35 abstracts, along with more than ten grants, all focused on TMD and orofacial pain.

Coming from a family of dentists, Anderson credits his inspiration for joining the profession to his father’s love for it. “To this day, I have never known anyone who loved dentistry more than my father,” he said. Anderson’s favorite thing about his career has been building relationships and working with others—which shows in his impact in the School of Dentistry and beyond.

“Gary has been like a brother to me for almost fifty years, and I can’t think of anyone who has devoted more of their life to dentistry, from research to education to service,” reflected Brent Larson, DDS ’81, MS, professor and director of the Division of Orthodontics, director of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Interim Chair of the Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences. “He is the perfect example of a servant-leader, focused on making others successful. Even though he is often working behind the scenes, his impact on students, on research and on service locally and to the broader community has been broad.” 

Though he is passionate about dentistry and his community, Anderson is most proud of his family: his wife Laurie, his daughter Claire and his son-in-law Mike, who keep him grounded. 

“This award is a tremendous honor,” Anderson shared in remarks as he received the award during the 2023 Alumni Weekend. “I couldn’t do what I have done without the staff I’ve had everywhere I worked, the patients who entrust their care to me, our students, who raise new questions every day, my fellow faculty who have inspired and challenged me, and my fellow alumni, who have made a tremendous difference in Minnesota—where, I believe, we have the best dental community in the United States.” 

Get to know Anderson.