Calif. In 1955, Dr. Dixon and his associates established the California Dental Service, now Delta Dental Plan of California. Dr. Dixon, who is retired as CEO and now serves as president emeritus of Delta Dental Plan of California, is considered a pioneer in developing prepaid dental insurance plans in the U.S. and Canada, an achievement which has had a significant positive impact on the nation s oral health care environment. Dr. Dixon said he and his wife are happy to be part of funding activities that will go toward making the college stronger, especially in the college s growing area of research. Dr. Payne is actively engaged in research and oversees the college s research program in the new Cruzan Center for Dental Research. I think the center is the most exciting thing that s happened to dentistry in Nebraska, Dr. Dixon said.
Research is essential to providing new developments in dentistry.
It s an absolute must. Dr. Payne is an outstanding teacher as well as one of the foremost researchers at the college. We re very happy about this. We are deeply grateful to the Dixons, said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry. Their latest gift comes at a crucial time when Nebraska must compete with 55 dental schools nationally to attract and retain the most capable teachers and productive researchers.