The purpose of the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences – School of Dental Medicine (SDM) Leadership Council is to support the School’s mission and vision through education, advancement and philanthropy.
The Leadership Council is a group of trusted advisors who represent a wide range of professions and vocations and are committed to the SDM’s mission to educate the next generation of primary care dentists.
Over the next few issues of our newsletter, we will spotlight members of the Leadership Council.
Shan K. Bagby, DMD, MHA, FACHE, Brigadier General, USA (Ret)
A senior healthcare executive and decorated executive level military leader, Shan K. Bagby brings a wide range of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, budget management, and healthcare administration.
Bagby has led large healthcare organizations while serving in the military, developing clinical teams, and leading large divisions with global impact. His situational leadership skills enabled his success in blending clinical and business acumen.
He entered active duty after dental residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery until retiring from the Army in 2023 as the Dental Corps Chief and a one-star General officer. His military career included progressive executive leadership roles across operations, budgeting, education, medical logistics and human resources, while also serving as a subject matter expert and principal advisor to military executive leaders on organizational safety, quality, and efficiency.
He led large teams of up to 22,000 employees and multibillion-dollar budgets, and directed operations at large-bed military hospitals, public health clinics, dental, and veterinary facilities across multi-state markets serving 1.5 million beneficiaries. In 2020, as Commanding General of the DoD’s sole Level 1 trauma center, he deployed 10 healthcare teams nationwide in support of national Covid response efforts while maintaining the hospital’s status as a global medical contingency response platform.
Bagby led all facets of workforce planning (recruiting, retention, education, and training), directed staff reorganizations that streamlined operations, expanded health services, engaged stakeholders from multiple government branches, shaped mission and value propositions, and drove diversity and inclusion initiatives. Since retiring from the military, has served as Vice President, Head of Mobile Integrated Care at Cityblock Health.
Currently, he is focusing on leadership coaching and speaking on leadership. A lifelong learner, he obtained additional master’s degrees in healthcare administration from Baylor and national security strategy from the US Army War College.
Bagby is President of Molaro Barrister Associates and serves on the board of directors of University Health Foundation in San Antonio, Texas. Shan is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and board certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
We recently asked Shan how he feels about his role as a SDM Leadership Council member:
“I’m honored to be a member of the PNWU-SDM Leadership Council,” said Bagby. “The SDM has a critical mission in educating the next generation of dental professionals to preserve and enhance the oral health of the population. It is a privilege to support this critical mission.”
