Yong-Hee P. Chun completes year of leadership as president of Southwest Society of Periodontists

Yong-Hee P. Chun, DDS, Dr med dent, MS, PhD, professor and director of research in the Department of Periodontics at the UT San Antonio School of Dentistry, has concluded a successful term as President of the Southwest Society of Periodontists (SWSP) for 2024–2025. At the SWSP Winter Meeting held in Dallas in February 2026, Dr. Chun was formally recognized for her leadership and contributions to the organization during the past year.

The SWSP is a regional association dedicated to promoting excellence in education and the science of periodontology across the southwestern United States. As president, Dr. Chun led the Society through a year of significant program transformation, with a particular emphasis on advancing the career development of residents specializing in periodontics. 

Among the notable initiatives of her tenure was the successful integration of the Interinstitutional Meeting, traditionally organized independently by regional academic institutions, with the SWSP Winter Meeting. This merger created a unified, high-impact platform for periodontics residents across the southwest region. At the inaugural combined meeting, residents from eight periodontics graduate programs, including UT San Antonio, gathered to present cases and participate in a research competition, fostering scholarly exchange and camaraderie among emerging specialists. 

Reflecting on the year, Dr. Chun noted that the energy and commitment of the SWSP members continued to elevate the quality of the Society's meetings and deepen the specialty's impact across the region. She expressed particular pride in the spirit of volunteerism that drives the organization.

Dr. Chun's leadership at the SWSP builds on a distinguished career as a clinician-scientist and educator in academic dentistry, oral biology research and the training of dentists, periodontists and scientists. At UT San Antonio, she holds cross-appointments in the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy and the Department of Molecular Medicine and serves as TL1 co-director for Translational Science Training of predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the inaugural American Association for Dental Research Anne D. Haffajee Fellowship and the Sunstar–American Academy of Periodontology Foundation Research Fellowship.

As Immediate Past-President, Dr. Chun continues to serve the SWSP and the broader periodontal community through her mentorship and commitment to advancing the field.