Heiko Spallek

Professor Heiko Spallek is Head of School and Dean at the University of Sydney’s Sydney Dental School, leading the school’s integration with the Faculty of Medicine and Health. He also serves as Academic Lead for Digital Health and Health Service Informatics at the faculty level. His research focuses on advancing dental informatics, teledentistry, and evidence-based practice, while advocating for improved oral health policy and public health initiatives. He holds roles including director at Community Connections Australia and membership in the Charles Perkins Centre.

• Education: DMD, Dr. med. dent., MSBA(CIS), FACD, FAIDH
• Leadership: Oversees Sydney Dental School’s academic and clinical programs, emphasizing interprofessional education and digital health innovation.

Research interests include leveraging big data and machine learning in dentistry, improving access to oral healthcare through teledentistry, and addressing systemic issues in dental education and policy. He has led projects on laser dentistry applications, dental caries prevention, and healthcare workforce regulation. Notable contributions include the OpenWide conference series, the BigMouth dental data repository, and advocacy for equitable dental funding in Australia.

Grants include initiatives on oral hygiene in aged care and analysis of healthcare advertising perceptions. Media engagements highlight his role in public discourse on dental access and policy, including commentary on Australia’s dental crisis and aged care reforms. He actively promotes interdisciplinary collaboration through platforms like the Dental Informatics Online Community.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Sydney Dental School’s research programs in informatics and public health, collaborating with national and international networks such as the National Dental PBRN.