Each quarter, the Society of Educators (SOE) profiles an educator who is an emerging or long-time leader in orthodontic education. This quarter, the SOE highlights Dr. Garland Hershey, a renowned educator, administrator and leader in the field of Orthodontics.

Garland Hershey, DDS, MS, has had a long and distinguished career as a professor of orthodontics and an administrator for the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He earned his dental degree in 1965 from the University of Iowa and his master of science in orthodontics in 1971. Between dental school and orthodontic training, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army in Aschaffenburg, Germany, where he explored Europe and cared for our troops. He held several teaching and research positions at the University of Iowa before joining UNC in 1971 as a Professor in the Department of Orthodontics. His first administrative post came in 1975 when he was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Education for the UNC School of Dentistry. In 1983, he was named Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at the university, responsible for the operations of the academic health center, including the schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health. Garland was the youngest Vice Chancellor / Vice President for Health in the country and one of only two non-physicians- a testament to his skills and the broad range of opportunities that orthodontic training can provide. As one of the longest serving high-level administrators, he continued in this position through 1997, before becoming a consultant to the chancellor on health affairs from 1997-2008.

Since his return to the UNC School of Dentistry, Garland has received numerous teaching awards from the Department of Orthodontics and the School of Dentistry. He was recognized as the University of Iowa dental alumnus of the year in 2000, and he received the university’s Distinguished Alumni Hickerson Recognition Award in 2010. Just last year, the University of Iowa College of Dentistry named Dr. Hershey as the 2025 Dental Educator of the Year. At the time of his retirement, Dr. Hershey was Professor of Orthodontics at the UNC School of Dentistry, Professor of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health, and vice chancellor emeritus. Currently, he teaches part-time at UNC Orthodontics, serves as the Public Member of the board that oversees psychology internships and post-doctoral training in the United States, and serves as Vice-President of the Preservation Chapel Hill Board of Trustees. Dr. Hershey is a fellow in the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the World Federation of Orthodontists, the Academy of Dentistry International and the American Association of Orthodontists. He continues to serve as an examiner and diplomate for the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO), after first being certified by the ABO in 1981. The ABO presented Garland with the Dale B. Wade Award of Excellence in Orthodontics in 2011 and the O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award in 2019, recognizing him as someone who has significantly contributed to orthodontic education and furthered the ideals of the ABO. Further, Dr. Hershey has received the Arthur R. Weurhmann Prize from the Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and the Southern Association of Orthodontists, which named him Pioneer of the Specialty in 2009. He has served on the editorial review board of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and the editorial boards of the American Dental Association (ADA) Continuing Education Online and The Angle Orthodontist. He is also a site visitor and orthodontic consultant for the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and is a member of the National Commission on Accreditation for the American Psychological Association. He serves on numerous national boards, commissions, and committees in health care and higher education.

Dr. Hershey is a widely accomplished academician and leader who is a firm believer in the diverse opportunities and varied pathways that a career in orthodontics can provide to residents and practitioners. Beyond the accolades and awards, Dr. Garland Hershey is a kind, genial and thoughtful man who has positively influenced the lives of numerous UNC faculty and residents with his advice and humor. Anywhere Garland goes in Chapel Hill, he knows someone from his decades of involvement in the local community. His office at UNC is chock-a-block full of books and fascinating memorabilia from his remarkable career, Hershey chocolates and hippo sculptures (an animal for which he has no particular affection but has been gifted dozens of them over the years). His door is regularly open, and he always makes time to consider any situation to provide guidance and assistance. Outside of work, Garland is an avid gardener who is regularly found tending to his green turf and beautiful flower beds and enjoying time with his five children and many grandchildren in Chapel Hill and on the Carolina beach.

Dr. Hershey’s Students Share His Impact on Their Development

“Dr. Garland Hershey exemplifies the very best of what it means to give back to our profession. What makes Garland truly special is the way he brings decades of experience, including his distinguished service with the American Board of Orthodontics, to challenge our predoctoral students and residents to think critically about diagnosis and treatment planning. His commitment to excellence reflects who he is as a colleague: someone who shows up not because he has to, but because he genuinely cares about the future of orthodontics.” – Lucia Cevidanes, DDS, MS, PhD, Proffit Professor and Chair of Orthodontics, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Dr. Hershey has been an influential educator and mentor for me. I am so thankful that he is part of my life and contributed to my training in orthodontics, both for his technical excellence and for his generosity and willingness to give back. His thoughtful tidbits in faculty meetings are always valuable contributions, with vast institutional knowledge and experience-based perspective. I also enjoy his quirky sense of humor. I remember meeting him at our departmental welcome party when I was a new resident. He had had a dermatological procedure with a bandage on his face; rather than answer questions from all attendees, he created a small necklace with a post-it note explaining his condition and wore it. It embodies Dr. Hershey’s intelligence and love of quirky communications.” – Laura Jacox, DMD, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor of Orthodontics and Biomedical Sciences, Director of the Graduate Orthodontic Research Program and Program Director of the Oral and Craniofacial PhD Graduate Program, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Dr. Hershey’s advice and encouragement have been invaluable! He consistently puts the good of the department first and genuinely cares about staff, students, and faculty alike. I am fortunate to be in the office next to Dr. Hershey’s and routinely hear dental students and residents stop by for his advice. As you might expect, his words of wisdom are as much about life as they are about orthodontics. I’m grateful to have had his mentorship over the past five years.” – Kelly Mitchell, DDS, MS, Clinical Associate Professor, Graduate Clinic Director, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill