David Drake named as senior associate to UI's Sally Mason

David Drake, a professor of microbiology in the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, has been named senior associate to UI President Sally Mason, officials said Wednesday.

Drake succeeds Jon Carlson, a UI law professor who has served in the position since January 2008.

Drake, who is on faculty in the department of Endodontics and the Dows Institute for Dental Research, will advise Mason on issues relating to the university and higher education; coordinate special projects; schedule monthly presidential forums; work with groups presenting initiatives to the president's office; and develop initiatives to advance the president's vision, among other tasks.

Drake was the UI Faculty Senate president in 2009-10. He hold bachelor's and master's degree from Purdue University and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee. He joined the UI College of Dentistry in 1988 and is director of research for the department of endodontics. He was recently named by the National Institutes for Health as a permanent member of the Oral, Dental, and Craniofacial Sciences Study Section. He is a member of the American and International Associations for Dental Research, the American Society for Microbiology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.