© University of Rochester 1996-2012
A part of the University with 80-year-old roots in the Rochester community has a new name and an expanded role. In June, the University announced the Eastman Institute for Oral Health as a division within the Medical Center.
The new institute brings together all the dental academic units of the University, including the Eastman Dental Center, the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Department of Dentistry, and the Center for Oral Biology. With about $8.1 million in research funding, the new institute will be home to 500 faculty, residents, and staff.
Cyril Meyerowitz, who has served as director of the Eastman Dental Center for the last 10 years, has been appointed director of the new institute.
“By creating one dental enterprise University-wide, we will, for the first time, be able to truly realize our full potential,” Meyerowitz says.
Formally integrating into the Medical Center in 1998, the Eastman Dental Center began operation more than 70 years before that as an initiative of Eastman Kodak founder George Eastman to provide dental care and services throughout the region. Separately, the Medical Center has a long history of dental education and research through its Department of Dentistry and its Center for Oral Biology.
Under the new structure, basic science and clinical researchers will work more closely together to translate scientific discoveries to benefit patients, such as improved oral health care in children.
“The organizational changes are designed to put us in an even better position to enhance education and research initiatives in dentistry,” says Mark Taubman, acting CEO of the Medical Center.
Jack Caton, the chair and program director for periodontics, will serve as the institute’s associate director for education, and Robert Quivey, the director of the Center for Oral Biology, will serve as the associate director for research.
As part of its effort to improve clinical services for the community, the institute plans to add to its clinical facilities in the region, and incorporate new technologies to provide patients the latest in cosmetic, implant, and restorative work.
© University of Rochester 1996-2012