The West Virginia University Faculty Development Program is pleased to announce Ashlee Sowards, MSDH, as the 2026-2027 Faculty Development Fellow.
This fellowship is part of a new Faculty Development initiative designed to support faculty leadership, professional growth, and the continued advancement of faculty development programming across WVU Health Sciences.
Sowards is a professor and interim program director for the WVU School of Dentistry dental hygiene program. She serves as course director for seven dental hygiene courses and supervises third-year dental hygiene students in the clinical setting.
A two-time graduate of the WVU School of Dentistry, she joined the School of Dentistry as a full time faculty member in 2011.
Her commitment to education extends across WVU and the dental hygiene profession. Sowards has served on numerous School of Dentistry committees, is a WVU Faculty Senator, and is actively involved with the West Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association, where she serves as treasurer and state liaison to the Institute for Oral Health.
With a strong passion for education, faculty engagement, and professional development. Sowards is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at WVU.