Susan C. McKernan DMD, MS, PhD
Associate Professor, Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry; Senior Research Fellow in Residence, University of Iowa Public Policy Center, Iowa City, IowaDr. McKernan is an Associate Professor in Preventive and Community Dentistry at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. She is also a Senior Research Scholar in Residence at the University of Iowa Public Policy Center. At the Public Policy Center, Dr. McKernan collaborates with the Health Policy Research Program in several projects, including one that examines health outcomes of the Iowa dental Medicaid program. In addition to her active research portfolio, Dr. McKernan provides clinical and didactic instruction to predoctoral dental students and dental public health graduate students.
Dr. McKernan received her DMD from the University of Florida and an MS in dental public health from the University of Iowa, where she subsequently received a PhD in Oral Science. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health. Her doctoral training in health services research at the University of Iowa was supported by an NIDCR-funded T32 training award. Dr. McKernan’s research is committed to identifying and reducing oral health disparities – especially among rural populations and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. A primary theme of her research is the intersection between geography, dentist workforce, and access to dental care.