Three professors granted emeritus status
Texas A&M University recently granted emeritus status to three former Texas A&M School of Dentistry faculty members: Dr. Stephen J. Griffin, Dr. Mohsen Taleghani and Dr. R. Gilbert Triplett.
Emeritus titles are awarded to those who have made significant contributions through long and distinguished service. Griffin, Taleghani and Triplett were an integral part of the dental school for many years, making a meaningful impact on the dentistry field and generations of students.
Dr. Stephen J. Griffin, clinical associate professor emeritus
Griffin retired in June 2022 as associate dean and executive director of clinics. 
He joined the dental school faculty in 1999 and served in several roles before being named director of clinics in 2006. In 2008, he was awarded the Texas A&M Health Science Center Presidential Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring.
Griffin served as project manager for the design and construction of the school’s state-of-the-art Clinic and Education Building, which opened in 2020, and he served on several dental school committees while a faculty member, including clinical affairs, faculty development, curriculum, and facilities development.
Griffin also served on the HSC Faculty Senate and a committee tasked with elevating remote campuses – TAMU The Path Forward.
Dr. Mohsen Taleghani, clinical professor emeritus
Taleghani retired in January 2022.
He joined the dental school faculty in 1986 and served as chairman, and later department head, of general dentistry for almost 30 years. He oversaw the merger of the Department of General Dentistry with the Department of Restorative Sciences, and in 2019, he was named interim department head of the newly formed Department of Comprehensive Dentistry.
Taleghani served on numerous committees while at the dental school, including the Dean’s Special Committee to Develop a Plan for Advanced Standing DDS Program and the DDS/PhD Steering Committee.
Dr. Robert Gilbert Triplett, Regents Professor emeritus
Triplett retired in September 2022 as vice chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
He joined the dental school in 1991, serving in various positions, including chief of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Division, Department of Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center from 2007 to 2019. He was named a Regents Professor in 1998.
Triplett gave countless presentations and taught numerous continuing education classes around the world, receiving the Edward Hines Award for Excellence in Continuing Education in 1997. In 2008, he received the Educator of the Year Award from the Dallas County Dental Society, followed by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation Research recognition in 2013 and the Robert V. Walker Distinguished Service Award in 2020.
Triplett was published extensively and served on various committees for the Texas A&M Health Science Center.