Drs. Ritchie and Ripps Retire

Two long-time faculty members have recently retired from the LSUHSC School of Dentistry (LSUSD). Their contributions were significant; students, patients, faculty, and staff will miss them for their faithful dedication.

John Ritchie, DDS, MEd, associate professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and Biomaterials and director of admissions, retired from the dental school on May 1, after 31 years on the faculty. After completing dental school at the University of Iowa, John spent his entire career at LSUSD, first coming to the school in 1979 to enter the General Dentistry Residency (GPR) program. Upon completion of the residency in 1981, he joined the faculty in the Department of General Dentistry and from 1989 to 1995 was director of the GPR program. He then chaired the Department of General Dentistry for the next 11 years. Since 2006 Dr. Ritchie was director of diversity and minority affairs; he was also named director of admissions in 2010.

Dr. John and Pat Ritchie

One of Dr. Ritchie’s proudest accomplishments is the Summer Enrichment Program, which began in 2008 under his leadership. According to Dr. Ritchie, "The purpose of the program is twofold: to diversify the dental workforce in Louisiana and to increase access to care in underserved areas.” Thirty-five percent of the 49 students who attended the summer program since its inception are currently enrolled at LSUSD.

Dr. Ritchie is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and the Academy of General Dentistry. A member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society (OKU), he was president of the LSUSD chapter in 2012. He held the Marie Copping Chair in General Dentistry since its establishment in 1996. For the last 26 years, he practiced dentistry in the LSUSD Faculty Dental Practice. John and his wife, Pat, are retiring to Orlando, Florida, to be closer to their two daughters, Jill and Rachel, and their families. Pat Ritchie was also a long-time employee of LSUSD.

With Dr. Ritchie’s retirement, Dr. Stephen Brisco has been named director of diversity and minority affairs and Dr. Toby Cheramie has become director of admissions.

Alan Ripps, DMD, MEd, FACD, professor and director of the Division of Operative Dentistry in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and Biomaterials, retired at the end of May after 37 years at LSUSD. Upon graduation from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in 1972, he entered an internship in the U.S. Army at Fort Meade, Maryland. He subsequently began his career as a full-time instructor at LSUSD in 1975. When he opened a private practice in the Maison Blanche Building in New Orleans in 1976, he continued at the school as a part-time faculty member. In 1995 he joined the full-time faculty of the Department of Operative Dentistry and treated patients in the LSUSD Faculty Dental Practice.

Dr. Ripps was director of the freshman operative dentistry course and also served as clinical instructor for the junior and senior students. He was instrumental in the offering of 14 predoctoral dental courses, serving as director or co-director of nine of these courses.

Alan played a role in the launch of the clinical dental research effort at LSUSD and served as an advisor to over 20 students involved in clinical dental research. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, he served as co-director of the school’s state-of-the-art clinical research facility. He has authored over 13 publications and 22 abstracts.
Among Dr. Ripps’ impressive innovations at LSUSD were integration of simulation training in the predoctoral and dental hygiene courses and introduction of CAD/CAM restorations into the junior and senior predoctoral clinics.

In 2006 he received the Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence, awarded by the first-year dental class. He is a member of OKU and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He held the Ralph and Lily Dauterive Professorship in Operative Dentistry, established in 1999.

Upon retirement, Alan and his wife, Becky, will move to Atlanta where their daughter, Shawn, and her family reside.