Linda C. Niessen 

Founding Dean for the College of Dental Medicine and vice provost for Oral Health Affairs 

Linda C. Niessen, DMD, MPH, MPP serves Kansas City University as Founding Dean for the College of Dental Medicine and vice provost for Oral Health Affairs. In this role, she oversees the development of all academic, research and service activities and administration of the dental college. Her primary responsibilities encompass providing direction and leadership for all program components including the oversight of the dental college’s compliance with accrediting bodies; recruitment of college’s faculty; development and implementation of the didactic and clinical curriculum; recruiting students; and serving as the school’s primary liaison to develop partnerships with the region’s oral health community. 

Dr. Niessen previously served as dean and professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to that, she was vice president and chief clinical officer for DENTSPLY International, an industry leader in dental manufacturing, technology and innovation. Before assuming her leadership role in the dental industry, she served as professor and chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas (now Texas A&M College of Dentistry). While at Baylor College of Dentistry, she worked with the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine where she served as co-director of the Joint Geriatric Medicine and Dental Fellowship Program. 

Dr. Niessen’s career also includes work in the public service sector as well as geriatric dentistry. She began her dental career as a lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service, Division of Indian Health, where she served as chief of the Service Unit Dental Program at the Choctaw Nation Indian Hospital in Talihina, Oklahoma. She has also held positions with the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Boston and Bedford, Massachusetts; Perry Point, Maryland; and Dallas, Texas, caring for veterans with medically-complex conditions. 

Niessen earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She also holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Certificate of Residency in Dental Public Health from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.