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The UT San Antonio School of Dentistry is proud to announce the appointment of , as interim director of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Program, effective May 18, 2026. Dr. Phillips brings extensive clinical and research experience, along with a strong commitment to advanced training, supporting the program’s continued growth and recognized standard of excellence in dental education and patient care.

The AEGD Program at the School of Dentistry is a rigorous, nationally accredited residency that provides intensive clinical and didactic training in comprehensive, interdisciplinary dental care at the highest level. Its associated clinic, located in UT Dentistry’s Center for Oral Health Care and Research, provides outstanding advanced general and esthetic dentistry services to patients in San Antonio and the surrounding South Texas community.

Dr. Phillips is a graduate of the school’s AEGD Program, where she completed the three-year track that combines advanced clinical training with a Master of Science in Dental Science. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from São Paulo State University in Brazil, graduating with academic honors in 2016. In her current position as clinical assistant professor and AEGD Program co-director, she has helped shape the program’s curriculum.

As a clinician, Dr. Phillips focuses on esthetic and digital dentistry, integrating advanced technology with personalized patient care. Her areas of expertise include comprehensive dental care, smile design, full-mouth rehabilitation, implant dentistry and minimally invasive esthetic restorations. She is also certified through the International Caries Detection and Assessment System, reflecting her commitment to evidence-based cariology and early disease detection.

Dr. Phillips has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on topics including hydroxyapatite remineralization, caries prevention, digital scanning technology and tooth wear monitoring. She also contributed as a graduate researcher to a 2022 study published in BDJ Open, led by cariologist , professor in the school’s Department of Comprehensive Dentistry.

Dr. Phillips succeeds Ahmed Sabbah, DDS, PhD, who served as program director from June 2020 to May 2026. During his tenure, Dr. Sabbah significantly expanded the program and elevated its national profile. He launched the program’s Master of Science in Dental Science degree track, introduced a fully integrated digital workflow in both the program and clinic and established key community and industry partnerships. A published researcher and national presenter, Dr. Sabbah also served as chair of the section on Comprehensive Dentistry at the American Dental Education Association and was recognized with several honors, including Faculty of the Year and the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award. The School of Dentistry is grateful to Dr. Sabbah for his leadership and the strong foundation he built for the program.

“Dr. Phillips represents exactly the kind of thoughtful, skilled and dedicated educator-clinician that this program was built to develop, and now, to be led by,” said Kenneth M. Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, dean of the School of Dentistry. “Her journey from resident to interim program director is a story we are enormously proud of. I have every confidence that under her leadership, the program will continue to thrive, innovate and set the standard for advanced general dentistry education. Our residents are in exceptional hands, and our patients will continue to receive the outstanding, comprehensive care they expect from this program. I look forward to seeing Dr. Phillips build on the program’s already impressive foundation and take it to new heights.”