Dr. Walter Siqueira is Dean of the College of Dentistry and a tenured professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He was appointed dean on Sept. 1, 2022, and in that role serves as the college’s chief academic officer and CEO.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Siqueira served as Associate Dean Academic (ADA). During his term as ADA, the college’s Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program reached full accreditation status for the first time in decades and its DMD students obtained the best national performance in both written and OSCE exams of the National Dental Examining Board of Canada during the 2021-22 academic year.
In addition to his strong academic leadership, Dr. Siqueira (h-index = 45) leads the Salivary Proteomics Research Laboratory at the College of Dentistry and his program in proteomics, diagnostics, and therapeutics using saliva is unique in Canada and one of few worldwide. His research is funded by CIHR, NSERC, CFI, SHRF, the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, FAPESP, and industry research contracts. Dr. Siqueira’s background as a dental clinician and basic scientist has enabled him to integrate basic science with applied clinical research and promote knowledge translation. He is considered an international authority in the field of salivary research and his program of scholarship includes 125 research publications, an h-index of 44, and research grant funding of more than $9.1 million, to date. His innovative research has led to invitations to present more than 50 lectures at universities along with presentations at national and international conferences.
Dr. Siqueira has received several prestigious teaching and research honors, most notably the W.W. Wood Award for Excellence in Dental Education by the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry. He received the 2012 Salivary Researcher of the Year Award from the Salivary Research Group, International Association for Dental Research (IADR), along with the renowned Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Salary Award. In 2018, Western University awarded him the title Faculty Scholar, which recognizes the complete scholar who has maintained an excellent record in teaching and research and has achieved distinction in one of those two domains. Dr. Siqueira is an IADR Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient, the most prestigious international award in oral health science. More recently, he was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of only 11 dentists elected as a CAHS fellow in the academy’s history.
Dr. Siqueira’s comprehensive contributions in research innovation and creativity, training of the next generation of highly qualified oral health professionals, and academic leadership reflect his national and international recognition as an ambassador of oral health research and dental education within Canada and around the globe.