A Lifetime Dedicated to Public Health & Dental Leadership

Linda C Niessen, DMD, MPH, MPP

Dr. Niessen’s career has been defined by a commitment to expanding access to care and advancing the field of dentistry.

She began her dental career as a lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service, serving as chief of the Service Unit Dental Program at the Choctaw Nation Indian Hospital in Talihina, Okla., where she worked to improve oral health outcomes for underserved populations. Her career continued through leadership roles within the Veterans Affairs health system, caring for veterans with complex health needs in medical centers in Boston, Bedford, Perry Point and Dallas.

Over the course of her distinguished career, Dr. Niessen has served as president of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association of Women Dentists, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American Board of Dental Public Health, Dallas County Dental Society and American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, as well as the influential Santa Fe Group. She also served as chair of the American Dental Association Council on Dental Education and Licensure, shaping national policy for dental education.

Dr. Niessen earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, along with a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She completed a residency in dental public health and has contributed extensively to the field through scholarship, lectures, and publications, including the textbook Geriatric Dentistry: Aging and Oral Health.

Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the American Student Dental Association Paragon Award, the Jack Hein Award for Public Service, and the Choctaw Nation Award of Honor for Outstanding Service.

As KCU President and CEO, Marc B. Hahn, DO, FAOCA, notes: “Dr. Niessen brings expertise and enthusiasm to everything she does. We are proud to have an academic dentist of her caliber leading the development of our College of Dental Medicine as KCU works to improve oral health in the communities we serve.”

An internationally respected scholar, clinician and public health advocate, Dr. Niessen brings decades of leadership in dental education, health policy and geriatric oral health. As the founding dean of the CDM, she has guided the college from concept to reality, shaping its mission, recruiting its faculty, and designing a curriculum built around service to rural and underserved communities.

Under her leadership, the College achieved a critical milestone in 2022, receiving initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), a rigorous national standard required for any new dental school to begin educating students.

Even more remarkable, in 2025 the CDM successfully maintained accreditation with no recommendations from site visitors – an accomplishment that is almost unheard of for a newly established dental school and a powerful affirmation of the strength of the program that Dr. Niessen has built.

Today, the state-of-the-art Harry M. Cornell Oral Health Center stands as a hub for dental education, patient care and community engagement. Faculty have been recruited from across the country, and students committed to service and rural practice now span three cohorts. And clinical partnerships are expanding access to care throughout the four-state region.

Under Dr. Niessen’s leadership, what began as a bold idea has become a powerful force for improving oral health in communities that have long gone without adequate access to care.

Now, as the inaugural class approaches graduation and the CDM enters its next phase of growth, you have an opportunity to help KCU not only celebrate the extraordinary leadership that launched this effort, but also to ensure that the College will always attract leaders of similar vision, experience and commitment.