Eighteen years ago, University of Iowa College of Dentistry professor Steven Levy knew Col. Paul Colthirst, a former student in the university’s graduate Dental Public Health program, was bound for a leadership role in the U.S. Army.
As of March 1, his prediction was realized, Colthirst was named the 30th Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, the senior officer responsible for all Army dental policy and programs nationwide.
Levy, the director of the graduate program in Dental Public Health at the time Colthirst attended UI, and other UI dentistry professors remember Colthirst’s dedication as a student, which earned him his master’s in science from UI in 2008…