91´«Ã½

Nicole S. Kimmes, D.D.S., serves as Dean and Clinical Professor in the Department of Restorative and Clinical Sciences at the 91´«Ã½ College of Dental Medicine (COM). A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Kimmes earned her B.S. from Northern State University in 1997 and her D.D.S. from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 2001. Following graduation from dental school, Dr. Kimmes pursued her passion and began her career in academia while working part-time in private dental practice. She served on the dental faculty at Creighton University for 14 years. There, she directed the Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Center and was the Director of Dental Informatics. From 2014-2016, she served as Assistant Dean of Faculty Development and Technology and Associate Professor of Pathology and Radiology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Dentistry. She joined 91´«Ã½ in 2016 as the Associate Dean of Curriculum Integration and Analytics and Clinical Professor. Before her appointment as Dean, Dr. Kimmes served as Interim Dean of the College for 15 months. In November 2022, she was appointed the fourth Dean of the College of Dental Medicine and the first woman to hold the position.

Dr. Kimmes has contributed to a variety of initiatives to advance dental education. She is a founding member of the Consortium for Oral Health Research and Informatics (COHRI) and past chair of the COHRI Board of Directors. She served as chair of both the Adult and Pediatric Standardized Medical and Dental History workgroups for more than 10 years. She is a past chair of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Section on Clinic Administration. In 2018, Dr. Kimmes was selected to serve on the ADEA Compendium of Competency Assessment workgroup. In 2023, she participated in the ADEA Thought Leaders Assembly and was appointed co-chair of the multi-year ADEA Task Force on Envisioning and Transforming the Future of Oral Health & Education. She has collaborated with colleagues from US and Canadian dental schools to plan the Summer Deans' Institute, serving as Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee since 2024. 

A respected leader in dental education, Dr. Kimmes' peers have recognized her many contributions to dental academia and the profession of dentistry with the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Charles Craig Teaching Award in 2009 and fellowships in the International College of Dentists (2018), Pierre Fauchard Academy (2023), and American College of Dentists (2024). She was awarded a Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors Citation in March 2025 for her significant contributions to ADEA and dental education.

Dr. Kimmes has presented at numerous national and international meetings and has published on a wide array of topics, including dental adhesives and bonding, methamphetamine abuse, dental diagnostic terminology, and dental academia. She was a co-investigator on two NIH/NIDCR grants and the Associate Director for Dental Informatics for an NLM training grant with the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology at OHSU. She is a reviewer for multiple dental journals and serves on the Editorial/Advisory Boards of six international journals. She also oversaw 91´«Ã½'s facilitation of the Collaborative Clinical Practice-­based REsearch Program for DENTal Schools (H-CREDENT), a $4.4M Harvard-led research network to train future clinician-scientists. 

As an active member of the dental community, Dr. Kimmes maintains memberships in numerous professional organizations including the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD), American College of Dentists (ACD), American Dental Association (ADA), American Dental Education Association (ADEA), American Society for Dental Ethics (ASDE), Greater Portland Dental Society (GPDS), Hispanic Dental Association (HDA), International Association for Dental Research (IADR), International College of Dentists (ICD), Maine Dental Association (MDA), Maine Public Health Association (MPHA), National Dental Association (NDA), Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Supreme and Beta Theta Chapters, and Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA). 

Dr. Kimmes' dedication to service is reflected in her years of volunteer work and community outreach. From 2009-2014, she served as a volunteer dentist at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. She serves as the program coordinator for Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) at 91´«Ã½, and in 2020, she led the team that organized the college's inaugural GKAS event. That same year, she co-developed Maine Needs A Smile with the MDA to collect, assemble, and distribute oral hygiene kits during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support global collaboration in dental education, she has facilitated and participated in educational exchanges with the University of Puthisastra in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the Institute of Science Tokyo and Showa University in Tokyo, Japan. She currently serves on the OKU Supreme Chapter Budget and Finance Committee and is the Secretary-Treasurer for the OKU Beta Theta Chapter. Since 2021, she has volunteered as a pre-doctoral curriculum consultant and site visitor for the ADA’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). In 2025, she was appointed to fill a vacant term on the ADA’s Council on Dental Education and Licensure (CDEL), and in 2026, was elected to serve a four-year term. She also serves on CDEL's Licensure Committee and OPA Curriculum Ad Hoc Committee. As an ally and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Dr. Kimmes plays an active role in organizing 91´«Ã½'s participation in the Pride Portland parade and festival. 

Dr. Kimmes enjoys traveling, photography, flower gardening, and combing Maine beaches for sea glass.