Dr. Christine Hong currently serves as an associate professor and interim chair of the Division of Orthodontics at University of California at San Francisco. She is also the Graduate Orthodontics Program Director in the Division of Orthodontics.
Dr. Hong received her DMD from Harvard University and earned an MS in Oral Biology at UCLA, where she became a faculty member after graduating.
Dr. Hong’s clinical and research work focused on craniofacial bone regeneration as well as improving orthodontic appliances and techniques.
In 2013, the Dental Orthodontics Laboratory in Anaheim, California sent a memo to the UCLA Section of Orthodontics about the alteration of Dr. Hong’s patient post-treatment dental models. These post-treatment dental models are part of the patient’s medical records. When questioned about the charges, the manager of the Dental Orthodontics Laboratory explained, “…we had to reconstruct anatomy of the models that were broken, and we had to reset several teeth on the study model to her exact instructions so she can score highly on her board exam.” The manager goes on to say, “…we usually get impressions and make the study model”, but in this instance the lab did “a lot of work to make this Doctor happy.” When the UCLA finance staff for the Orthodontic Program asked the Lab manager why the work was so costly, he replied, “…her impressions were distorted and she would not take a new impression…” and Dr. Hong “…requested us to reset 4 teeth to her specific needs for her exam grade.”
In 2018, Dr. Hong and other UCLA colleagues were accused of publishing manipulated data regarding stem cell research that led to tens of millions of dollars of funding for the university. According to an article in For Better Science. Dr. Hong was transferred to another faculty position within the UC system.