Leslie Capo
Office: 504-568-4806
Cell: 504-452-9166
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
Young Henry Gremillion thought his career path was set, but instead, he heeded the wise counsel of a beloved relative.
He saw patients from all walks of life – his neighbors, children in the Head Start Program, members of the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe and nursing home residents.
“During that time, I also became a continuing education junkie recognizing very quickly that dental school only provided an educational base on which it was my responsibility to build,” Gremillion remembered.
The quest to learn more to improve the quality of life for his patients led to a two-year craniofacial pain fellowship at the University of Florida College of Dentistry.Rising through the academic ranks, Gremillion was named the Parker E. Mahan Endowed Professor of Orofacial Pain in the Department of Orthodontics and was a member of the dental staff of Shands Teaching Hospital. He also served as the director of the UFCD Parker Mahan Facial Pain Center and its fellowship program in craniomandibular dysfunction.
Gremillion is the sixth dean of the school and the only alumnus to ever hold the position.
“The second was most unexpected and tremendously impactful,” continued Gremillion. “On a beautiful October Sunday afternoon in 2017, while working on a lecture for my anatomy class the next day, I received an e-mail through Ancestry.com which simply said ‘first cousin.’ Since it came from the company known for helping answer, ‘who are you and where did you come from,’ it was clear that this was not a hoax. It was a connection with my birth family who I had never met at age 66. This is a special blessing that has been unbelievably life-changing and truly completes the circle.”