New Director to Join Dental Healtlh Center at 930 Commonwealth Ave.

Dr. Margaret Errante will join BUSDM July 1 as director of the Boston University Dental Health Center at 930 Commonwealth Avenue. She replaces a very thankful Dr. Eyad Haidar, who has long wanted to leave his administrative duties behind to focus on patient care.

“Dr. Errante’s 18 years of experience in a multilocation group practice plus her four years as a principal in the largest dental maintenance organization in Arizona make her uniquely qualified for this position,” says Dean Spencer Frankl. “Her management expertise will benefit patients, faculty, residents, and staff alike.”

As president and co-owner of a 25-dentist, 200-employee group practice, Errante successfully attained full accreditation for the clinic from the Accredititing Association for Ambulatory Health Care, which also accredits the BU Dental Health Center. Her proficiency in developing and integrating policies complements her quality assurance experience.

“Managing the BU Dental Health Center will be similar to what I did in Arizona for 18 years. And I taught for 9 years at a hygiene school and really enjoyed that,” she says of her return to academia. “I liked making the center run smoothly and making sure patients are satisfied.”

Errante received her associate’s degree in applied sciences at State University of New York-Farmington in 1977, then joined a private practice as a registered dental hygienist. After receiving her DDS in 1984 from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco, she moved to her native Tucson, Arizona, where she began her long tenure with the large and growing practice of Associated Dental Care Providers, PC. In 1991 she became co-owner and vice president of Associated Health Plans, the largest dental maintenance organization in Arizona, and began teaching dental hygiene at Pima Community College, which she continued for ten years. In 2002 she moved back East to be closer to family and open a private practice in Warwick, Rhode Island.

The name “Errante” will sound familiar to many members of the BUSDM community. Margaret is the sister of Dr. Joseph Errante, who formerly was assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research is now is executive director of dental programs at Blue Cross/Blue Shield Massachusetts.

For his part, Haidar is breathing a sigh of relief. While he enjoyed the challenges of directing a multispeciality dental center, he is excited to fully return to his first love: caring for patients.