News & Events Archive: ’06
OMS Winter Newsletter, December 2006
Mid-year update detailing the activities, achievements, and milestones of MGH Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery faculty, students and alumni. View the newsletter.
Dr. Guralnick becomes Honorary Surgeon
Dr. Walter Guralnick celebrated his 90th birthday on November 1, 2006 and marked this occasion with his retirement from patient care activities after 55 years of distinguished service on the active staff at MGH. During his tenure Dr. Guralnick served as Chief of OMFS (1967-83) and Director of the Operating Rooms (1983-91) and also served one term as Chairman of the General Executive Committee (1975-77). Among his many notable contributions to the specialty, Dr. Guralnick was the architect of the MGH/Harvard MD OMS “double degree” program in 1971, a model that has become the standard for OMS training in the US. Today, 75% of oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained in programs that incorporate the MD degree and general surgery internship following the MGH model. Dr. Guralnick has been bestowed the MGH title of Honorary Surgeon.
Resident and mentor nominated for 2006 Larry J. Peterson Award
Dr. Richardson, a junior resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and Dr. Dodson have been nominated for the 2006 Larry J. Peterson Award for their article Risk of Periodontal Defects After Third Molar Surgery: An Exercise in Evidence-based Clinical Decision-making. The Larry J. Peterson award is given annually to the most outstanding article published in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology, the official publication of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and others. The article by Drs. Richardson and Dodson is among five published articles in Volumes 100 and 101 nominated for this honor.
HSDM Students recognized at AAOMS Meeting for Outstanding Presentations
Congratulations to Seenu Susarla and Batya Goldwasser for being recognized for research excellence at the recent AAOMS meeting. Both Seenu and Batya are HSDM students who have been conducting research under the mentorship of OMS faculty. Seenu was chosen as the best poster presentation for his work entitled “A Comparison of Functional Outcomes after Early and Late Lingual Nerve Repair”. This research was co-authored by Drs. Kaban, Donoff, and Dodson. Batya was awarded second place for outstanding abstract presentation for her work entitled “Risk Factor Assessment for the Development of Osteoradionecrosis”. This research was co-authored by Drs. Chuang and August. Both projects were supported by funding from the Department’s Education and Research Fund.
MGH OMS Alumni honored by AAOMS
Three distinguished alumni of the Department received prestigious awards from AAOMS. Dr. Steve Roser, currently chairman of oral surgery at Emory and MGH ’72 received the Walter Gies Award for achievements in education. Dr. Samuel Molind, MGH ’71 received the Presidential Achievement Award for his continued service to third world countries. Dr. Jeffrey Stone, currently practicing in Lowell, MA and MGH ’76 was named Committeeman of the Year.
AAOMS releases paper on Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) has issued a position paper on bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRON). The paper was developed by an Advisory Task Force appointed by AAOMS to address issues of limiting patient risk and treating patients who develop osteonecrosis of the jaw related to bisphosphonate use. “As oral surgeons, we are on the front lines treating affected patients,” said Dr. Thomas Dodson, a member of the AAOMS Task Force. Drs. Dodson and Smullin will present a case history of a BRON patient at the MGH Clinico-Pathological Conference during Grand Rounds on Wednesday, January 3, 2007. Members of the oral surgery community are invited to attend. Read the paper»
AAOMS 88th Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition
October 3-7, 2006
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
San Diego Convention Center
See the MGH faculty and resident presentations at the AAOMS meeting
Dr. Troulis added to MGPO Executive Committee
Dr. Maria Troulis was among two MGH surgeons selected to serve as the first at-large members of the MGPO Executive Committee. Beginning in 2006, at-large physician positions were created to ensure broader representation on the committee with respect to gender, age, ethnicity, and specialty. Candidates were nominated by the chief executive officer and selected by the elected physician members of the Executive Committee.
Dr. Dodson elected to JOMS Editorial Board
The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (JOMS)announces the appointment of Dr. Thomas Dodson to its Editorial Board. Dr. Dodson joins other MGH oral surgeons Dr. Leonard Kaban, MGH Chief of OMS, and Dr. Bruce Donoff, Dean of HSDM, on the JOMS Editorial Board. JOMS is a monthly publication of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
OMS Newsletter June 2006
Year-end update detailing the activities, achievements, and milestones of MGH Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery faculty, students and alumni. View the newsletter.
Dr. Kaban to present at AO-ASIF in Berne, Switzerland
Department chairman Leonard B. Kaban, DMD, MD will present “Research and Clinical Applications of Distraction Osteogenesis” at the plenary session and “Clinical Problems in Distraction Osteogenesis” at the craniomaxillofacial surgery session of the AO-ASIF Foundation Board of Trustees meeting in Berne, Switzerland, June 17 and 18. AO-ASIF is a private nonprofit foundation that funds education and research for orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, neurosurgery, veterinary surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Dr. Dodson to promote “REAP” at Mass. Society of OMS
The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation has embarked on a campaign encouraging oral and maxillofacial surgeons to play a meaningful role in the future of the specialty by supporting research. ‘REAP’ stands for ‘Research and Education can Advance your Practice’. To help kick off this campaign, Dr. Thomas Dodson will present “Applying Research to Clinical Practice: ‘REAP’ the rewards of OMS Foundation-Supported Research” on June 7, 2006 at the Massachusetts Society of OMS. The meeting will be held at the Blue Hills Country Club in Canton, MA .
JADA cover story highlights work by Drs. Halpern, Dodson
Research by Dr. Leslie Halpern and Dr. Thomas Dodson was featured as the Cover Story in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. “A predictive model to identify women with intimate partner violence-related injuries” (J Am Dent Assoc 2006: 137:604-609) continues a body of work aimed at developing predictive models that help clinicians to identify patients in need of intervention for intimate partner violence (IPV). “Our goal was to look at data that is readily available at the point of care for patients who present with injuries to see if these factors can help identify whose injuries were likely to have been caused by IPV,” says Dr. Halpern. “Diagnosing IPV is challenging,” adds Dr. Dodson, “because the clinical characteristics of an IPV victim are not unique to IPV. We hope our work helps identify patients in need of intervention for IPV who are often unwilling or unable to report the cause of their injuries.”
Dr. Troulis to present at HSDM Alumni Day
Dr. Maria Troulis will join the presenters in this year’s HSDM Alumni Day on June 10, 2006. The theme for the event is “Paradigm Shifts in Oral Health Care,” and Dr. Troulis will present “Biology of Distraction” highlighting the Department’s advanced work in distraction osteogenesis. HSDM Alumni Day Seminar is held at The Conference Center at Harvard Medical, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston.
Clinic to pilot online appointment requests at harvardOMS.org
Beginning April 1, 2006, patients of Harvard Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates will be able to request appointments online, thanks to a new feature implemented on the practice’s website, www.harvardOMS.org. “Our commitment to a paperless practice extends to conveniences for our patients and referring physicians,” says Dr. Thomas Dodson. “Since our Website went live in September we have patients arriving with their medical history forms downloaded from our site and completed in advance. It’s clear they appreciate the benefits the Internet brings.” Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the first department at MGH to implement online appointment requests.
Department launches ‘Center for Applied Clinical Investigation’
The MGH Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery announces its new Center for Applied Clinical Investigation (CACI), an institution committed to clinical and outcomes research and the training of fellows in the methods and techniques of clinical investigation. Under the leadership of its director, Thomas B. Dodson, DMD, MPH, CACI establishes MGH as the principal destination for training and mentoring clinical investigators in oral and maxillofacial surgery. CACI will offer two-year Fellowships in Clinical Investigation for graduate oral surgeons interested in pursuing academic careers. For information on CACI or the Fellowship, visit www.caciOMS.org.
Drs. Kaban, Troulis are “Saving Face”
Dr. Leonard Kaban and Dr. Maria Troulis are featured in Cascades: 2005 Report to Physicians published by MGH Hospital for Children. The article highlights the OMS Department’s breakthrough research and clinical work that has improved outcomes for children with complex and rare congenital and acquired oral and maxillofacial conditions. Read the article in its entirety.
Dr. Walter Guralnick awarded prestigious Harvard Medal
Walter Guralnick, DMD, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Emeritus, was awarded the Harvard Medal on June 9, 2005. Among the numerous accomplishments in Dr. Guralnick’s five-decade career was the establishment of the joint degree program in oral and maxillofacial surgery that allows MGH residents to attain an MD degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Guralnick’s vision was that oral and maxillofacial surgeons should have training comparable to that in other surgical subspecialties. This program, the first of its kind, is now a standard model for training residents in oral and maxillofacial surgery nationwide. Read about Dr. Guralnick in the Harvard Dental Bulletin.
