St John Crean

St John is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Clinical), University of Central Lancashire, Preston. This role makes StJohn responsible for both undergraduate and postgraduate dentistry as well as the newly established MB BS programme. Before that, he was the Director of Dental Research and Knowledge Transfer from October 2009, also becoming the Dean of the School of Post Graduate Medical and Dental Education in January 2010. St John is also a consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Blackpool Victoria Hospitals Trust and holds an Honorary Consultant post at Lancaster and Morecambe Bay University Hospitals Trust. He previously held the post of Associate Director of Undergraduate Dental Studies and Year 3 Lead at Peninsula Dental School for 2 years.

His specialist training is in oral and maxillofacial surgery and he held the post of Senior Lecturer in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Cardiff School of Dentistry. He went on to be appointed as Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Queen Mary’s, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2003. In 2005 he was appointed as Consultant in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery to North Glamorgan NHS Trust with NHS duties at the Royal Glamorgan and Prince Charles Hospitals, whilst holding an Honorary Professorship at the University of Cardiff School of Dentistry.

Alongside his role in UCLan, St John is currently the Robert Bradlaw advisor in the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is Editor in Chief of the Faculty Dental Journal (FDJ). He is also the President of the Northwest Branch of the British Dental Association.

St John holds numerous examiner-ships at home and abroad, advising on the establishment of many dental undergraduate and postgraduate courses. His research interests are in the role of oral bacteria in systemic disease and the biology of stem cells derived from dental pulp.