Swift retires after more than 30 years at the School of Dentistry

James Swift, DDS, retired in June after more than 30 years at the School of Dentistry. He was named faculty emeritus by the school. 

Swift completed his undergraduate training at Cornell College in Iowa, his DDS at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and a General Practice Residency at Oklahoma Children’s Memorial Hospital. He completed his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency training at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  

Swift taught dental students and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center until 1989, when he joined the School of Dentistry as director of the Advanced Education Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He would later serve as director of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Swift was promoted to professor in 2005.

As a leader in oral and maxillofacial surgery training for the school, Swift is proud of the work he did to ensure the preparation of excellent oral health professionals for Minnesota and beyond. “What I’m proudest of is the number of competent and well-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons for the community,” he reflected. “That was my job and my focus.”  

Swift took that role seriously, working with the Commission on Dental Accreditation to ensure that the training program would be fully accredited and allow residents to become board certified.

"His legacy is the quality of the residents he trained and the lasting care he provided,” reflected Paul Olin, DDS, MS, Interim Associate Dean for Patient Care and Clinical Services.

Swift’s influence on his residents has been strong and long-lasting. Rachel Uppgaard, DDS, is the Swift Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery—but she first got to know Swift when she trained as a dental student and as a resident under his leadership.

“Dr. Swift leaves an incredible surgical residency in the patients that he cared for and the residents he trained,” Uppgaard reflected. “He reminded us that patients are humans who need care, not just surgical cases. He taught us that every aspect of patient care is important and matters, and that everything we do should have purpose and serve the end goal of exceptional patient care.”

Particularly meaningful to Uppgaard was Swift’s support of women residents during a time when the field and training programs were male-dominated. “He lived out the belief that women can be surgeons, and trained all his residents to be good surgeons, regardless of gender.”

Swift brought that same compassion and excellence to his clinical work, which he practiced at the School of Dentistry and in the community. “His surgical skills provided patients with the very best,” Olin shared. “I learned a lot from working with him.”

Swift was heavily involved in professional dentistry, serving as former president of the American Dental Education Association and the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. His research on inflammatory mediators and pain transformed the way providers think about prescribing opioids and alternate pain management solutions for surgical procedures. He has acted as a principal investigator on implant research and performed clinical research in the area of temporomandibular disorders.

“I gave my heart to this place, and I wouldn’t do it any other way,” Swift reflected. “I’m satisfied with the success I’ve had here, and I am happy with the opportunities I had.”

Swift is grateful for the support of his family throughout his career—his wife, Lori, daughter, Meagan and son, Alex. As he moves on from the school, he looks forward to spending time with them—along with his five grandsons—and trying out hobbies like guitar and sailing.