Dr. Judith Ann Buchanan, PhD, DMD, MS, Emeritus Professor at University of Minnesota, 74, passed on January 13, 2021. She was born to Henry Musch and Geraldine Elisabeth Musch (Telford) on August 19, 1946 in Akron, OH.

She and Dr. Peter Berthold were married on February 29, 2004 in Charleston, SC. Together, they raised 2 children, Holly Dean Rakow (Buchanan), and Cameron Ferris Buchanan. She is also survived by 2 grandchildren, Henry Minor and Mabel Ferris Rakow.

Over the years they lived in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and retired to the Rocky Mountains in CO. Their final destination together was Midlothian (Richmond), VA. Dr. Buchanan began her career in dentistry after completing her PhD in biochemistry. She received her DMD in 1980 from the University of Florida College of Dentistry, graduating first in her class. She went on to pursue teaching and research at the University of Mississippi and the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also held the position as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. She continued her academic career as Academic Dean at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Minnesota. She was the leader in Virtual Reality and Simulation in dental education, and a leader in Interprofessional Education at University of Minnesota. She was a beloved mentor for young female academicians in dentistry at each of the Universities where she was employed. She was an American Dental Association (ADA) accreditation consultant with an excellent reputation. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Buchanan was the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s first female Interim Dean. In 2018, she and her husband were both recruited to full time positions as Commissioners at the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of higher education at the Ministry of Education in UAE. They moved to Abu Dhabi in early 2019.

Dr. Buchanan had a less well-known side to her professional life. She joined the Armed Forces of the Unites States (National Guard and US Army) as a reservist and served 22 years. She was deployed to Bosnia and Germany as a member of an Army Medical Corps unit in 2003 as LTC.

Dr. Judith Buchanan passed away on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 after a heroic fight against pancreatic cancer. She will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on March 22, 2023. She is missed by her family, friends and by colleagues across the globe.