William Chan

Bill Chan_Vol Spotlight

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many of Tufts’ most successful programs and initiatives; and the Brighter World campaign is no exception. Today’s issue of the Insider features the first in a series of profiles of volunteers whose leadership and dedication are critical to the success of our efforts.

Dental Campaign Committee member William (Bill) Chan, DA75, DG82, D10P, DG13P, DG13P embodies all the qualities of a successful volunteer: passion, loyalty, generosity, commitment, and creativity. 

Bill has a long history of volunteer service for Tufts, including serving on the Dental School’s Board of Advisors, M Club (leadership annual fund) Executive Committee, and numerous reunion committees—in addition to being a volunteer faculty member. He explains his motivation for supporting Tufts by saying,

One of the many examples of Bill’s support was the fundraising effort that he spearheaded to replace the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic’s patient treatment chairs. Noticing that the existing chairs were worn and outdated, Bill rallied other Dental alumni to “name” individual chairs through philanthropic giving. An outpouring of support from fellow alumni led to Bill initiating a Scholarship Fund in honor of two professors who guided generations of dental students. These funds alleviated the school’s financial burden not only for the purchase of new chairs, but also for supporting residents’ research, registration for professional development events, and celebratory dinners for graduates of the Pediatric Dentistry program, as well as other initiatives to advance the department. 

That passion for giving back to Tufts is also embraced by Bill’s son, Benjamin Chan, D10, D13, D13. In addition to volunteering to lead research on dental stem cells and autistic spectrum disorder, Benjamin teaches in the Orthodontics Department on Monday mornings—and co-teaches “Early Orthodontic Treatment for Pediatric Patients” with his father on Monday afternoons in the pediatric dental clinic. 

Bill tells us that the goal for all of his volunteer work is to help position Tufts School of Dental Medicine and the broader university as a leading academic and research institution. He concludes by saying, “I hope all esteemed alumni value the relationships built within the community and are inspired to give in their own ways.”