Steven W. Friedrichsen, DDS
Professor. Emeritus
College of Dental Medicine
- California Dental Association
- Tri-County Dental Society
- Academy of General Dentistry
- American Dental Association
- American Dental Education Association
- American College of Dentists, Fellow
- International College of Dentists, Fellow
Dr. Friedrichsen was named Dean of the College of Dental Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences beginning July 1, 2011. He joined WesternU as the Associate Dean of Patient Care and Clinical Curriculum in January of 2010 and was named Interim Dean on February 1, 2011.
Dr. Friedrichsen graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, was awarded his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Northwestern University and completed the hospital based General Dentistry Residency program at the University of Chicago.
Prior to joining Western University’s College of Dental Medicine Dr. Friedrichsen was Dean, Creighton University Medical Center School of Dentistry and Special Assistant to the University President for Healthcare Strategies. He also served for over twenty years as Chairman, Department of Dental Sciences and Director, Idaho Dental Education Program at Idaho State University. During that time he developed and initiated the Idaho Advanced General Dentistry Residency Programs in Pocatello and Boise, Idaho.
Dr. Friedrichsen has taught dental anatomy, occlusion, expanded function dental hygiene, dental literature review and pre-clinical and clinical restorative dentistry. He has published on a wide array of topics including Balancing Leadership and Management, Rural Behavioral Dental Health Care, Periodontal-Restorative Interactions, and a Socio-Economic Comparison of Prosthetic Patients in a Two-Tier Delivery System. He has also made numerous presentations to local, state and national conferences.
Throughout most of his career, Dr. Friedrichsen has been a clinician-educator; owning and managing an active general dentistry practice while maintaining his teaching and administrative responsibilities. Dr. Friedrichsen and his wife Susan, a dental hygienist, have two grown children, Molly and Erik who live near Seattle, Washington.