Army Col. Kevin Gillespie Named Acting Associate Dean for Research at USU’s Postgraduate Dental College

Gillespie will lead an effort to unite Army, Navy, and Air Force dental research around shared military health priorities

Army Col. (Dr.) Kevin R. Gillespie, center, speaks during a meeting with Army, Navy, and Air Force service members and civilian colleagues. Gillespie will lead USU’s effort to build a unified Tri-Service Dental Research Program. (Courtesy photo)

September 24, 2026 by Sharon Holland

U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Kevin R. Gillespie has been named acting Associate Dean for Dental Research for the Postgraduate Dental College at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), where he will lead efforts to strengthen military dental research and build a unified Tri-Service Dental Research Program.

Gillespie succeeds Dr. Rodney Phoenix, who retired earlier this year after serving as Associate Dean for Research for nine years.

In his new role, Gillespie’s primary focus will be building a sustained Tri-Service Dental Research Program that brings Army, Navy, and Air Force student, faculty, and senior investigator dental research capabilities and funding together to address capability gaps shared across the military services.

“This is historic because it is the first time our research capabilities and funding have become united and synchronized under one program,” Gillespie said. “By bringing the services together around common research priorities, we can create collaborations, synergies and shared equities while optimizing resources and expanding opportunities to disseminate research findings.”

Gillespie said the program also will open opportunities for scientific discovery and workforce development across the services, with solutions aimed directly at warfighters’ needs.

“The ultimate goal is to develop solutions that directly address the needs of our warfighters while strengthening the military dental research enterprise for the future,” he said.

Gillespie serves as executive director of the Tri-Service Dental Research Consortium at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. He also serves as an attending periodontist at the U.S. Air Force Postgraduate Dental School and as an assistant professor with the PDC. He has held leadership positions in dental and oral and maxillofacial trauma research and combat casualty care technology since joining USAISR in 2020.

His research and professional interests include military dental readiness, trauma research, translational science, innovation, and cross-service collaboration. His current research portfolio includes the use of artificial intelligence to standardize dental diagnostic nomenclature and address readiness interoperability gaps across the services.

Gillespie earned a doctor of dental medicine degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, a master’s degree in oral biology from the Medical College of Georgia, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. He completed an Army residency in periodontics and is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. He is pursuing a PhD in translational science at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Gillespie began his military career by enlisting in the Utah Air National Guard in 1990. After earning his dental degree, he was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps in 2004. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 as officer in charge of a dental clinic at Forward Operating Base Echo, providing emergency and routine dental care to U.S. service members, coalition forces, and local nationals. He later served in a range of clinical, research, and military leadership positions, including chief of periodontics, residency mentor, and Dental Activity deputy commander.

Gillespie has been recognized with the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator, the Army Medical Department’s highest professional achievement designation, and induction into the Order of Military Medical Merit. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, and Meritorious Unit Commendation.

The PDC provides advanced education and training for military dentists while supporting research focused on the unique dental and oral health needs of the nation’s military forces.

Dr. Drew Fallis, executive dean of the PDC, said Gillespie steps in as the college, now affiliated with every graduate dental education program in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, works to align student research with faculty-led research in military laboratories.

“Dr. Gillespie’s appointment as acting Associate Dean for Dental Research comes at a vital timepoint in the maturation of the College that is now affiliated with all 55 graduate dental education programs in the Army, Navy, and Air Force,” Fallis said. “His unique experiences, skills and leadership during this pivotal period will be invaluable as the PDC aligns the focus of student research in support of advanced dental degrees with faculty-led research in mission-essential dental specialties and medical/dental science within Department of War laboratories such as the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research, Navy Medical Research Unit-San Antonio, and the Air Force’s Dental Research and Consultative Service.”