Anthony M. Iacopino, DMD, Ph.D
Dean and Professor of Restorative Dentistry
Faculty of Dentistry
University of Manitoba
Open session is scheduled on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from noon-2pm in rooms DS
S116 and S117
Video Presentation
Power Point Presentation
Dr. Iacopino graduated with a BA from Rutgers College in New Brunswick NJ in 1982 and earned his DMD degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) New Jersey Dental School in Newark NJ in 1986. He then completed the prestigious National Institutes of Health Dentist/Scientist Training Program in 1991 at UMDNJ earning his dental specialty certification in Prosthodontics from the dental school along with a PhD degree in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Additionally, he completed certificate training in Craniomandibular Disorders and Dental Implantology at the dental school as well as a fellowship in Geriatrics/Gerontology at the School of Osteopathic Medicine. During his training period, Dr. Iacopino was very active in the field of geriatric dentistry serving as director of the first dental clinic specifically for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related dementias at the UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Community Mental Health Center. He assumed a leadership role within the dental profession regarding alternative treatment techniques and treatment settings for this patient population developing an international reputation in geriatric dentistry and treatment of the underserved elderly.
From 1991 to 1999, Dr. Iacopino was a faculty member at the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas TX where he maintained a joint appointment in Prosthodontics and Biomedical Sciences distributing his efforts among the clinical, basic science, and research areas. During this time, he was instrumental in designing core cellular/molecular biology research facilities, expanding the research capabilities of the Biomedical Sciences department, and developing one of the largest research training programs for advanced degrees related to dental research. During this time, he also developed and maintained his own NIH-funded research program in oral-systemic health and earned international recognition for his work regarding the relationships between periodontal disease, diabetes, inflammation, immune cell biology, and changes in systemic physiology and blood biochemistry.
From 1999 to 2007, Dr. Iacopino served as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee WI. During his tenure at Marquette, he developed an international reputation as an innovative leader in dental education participating in the design of the first new dental school building in the US in over 20 years and receiving grant support from the US Department of Education to help develop a completely new dental curriculum emphasizing early clinical experience, community outreach, integration of clinical and biomedical sciences, and small group capstone “grand rounds” case-based learning exercises. Additionally, Dr. Iacopino helped NIDCR to conceptualize and implement the R25 grant mechanism and secured this educational grant support to create the first dedicated research/scholarly track with an inter-institutional DMD/PhD program (in partnership with the University of Rochester) embedded as a normal part of the dental curriculum. On the graduate level, Dr. Iacopino created and implemented a comprehensive core curriculum for all graduate residents in dental specialty programs. Dr. Iacopino also gained national recognition for mentorship and his support of student research programs. He has extensive experience in mentorship at all levels (faculty members, dental students, and graduate residents) having served as a mentor for several PhD programs, dozens of Masters programs, postdoctoral fellows, sabbatical programs, visiting scholars, and dozens of short-term student/faculty training programs. His protégés have won dozens of awards at various regional/national research competitions and he was a recipient of the prestigious national AADR Mentor of the Year Award in 1999. He served as the local Marquette student research group faculty advisor during a period when that student group received multiple national awards for its activities and as national faculty advisor for the AADR National Student Research Group during a period when that group achieved tremendous growth and influence within the AADR.
While at Marquette, Dr. Iacopino also served as Director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center, a federally-funded (DHHS-HRSA) consortium of educational institutions and healthcare systems providing interdisciplinary geriatrics/gerontology education to health professionals, paraprofessionals, and the public. During this time, he became interested in electronic/web-based, interactive, distance learning approaches and became a national leader within the geriatric education center network. He co-chaired the GEC National Distance Education Taskforce, participated in the design and delivery of “virtual patient” cases, and spearheaded the development of the first comprehensive interdisciplinary Geriatric Oral Health Website now accessed by thousands of health professionals worldwide. Additionally, he served as a member of the DHHS Advisory Board to the Secretary of HHS for interdisciplinary linkages in primary healthcare and Title VII programs. In this capacity, he testified before congressional committees regarding the role of oral health within the primary healthcare system and worked with the advisory board to write the first report to the Secretary of HHS containing specific recommendations for federal support of interprofessional education and training necessary to make oral health part of comprehensive healthcare.
In 2007, Dr. Iacopino became the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He immediately worked with the Faculty, University, Manitoba Dental Association, alumni, and the government, healthcare, and business communities to create a new vision for the Faculty of Dentistry. This vision is based on a strategic plan called the “Drive for Top Five” which seeks to position the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry as one of the top five dental schools in North America within five years. This aggressive plan is based on a visibility/marketing campaign, a $25 million fundraising campaign, and the “Nine Pillars of Innovation” which represent unique directions that are not being pursued (or pursued to the same degree) by any other dental school. For example, Dr. Iacopino has launched the world’s first International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health dedicated to interprofessional curriculum development, research, and public policy. The centre has already changed the nature of healthcare in the province of Manitoba placing oral health at the forefront of prevention-based approaches aimed at reducing systemic inflammatory burden. The Faculty has also launched a unique mentorship program coupled to a comprehensive four-year curriculum in Practice Management designed to create a new class of dental graduates who will be immediately ready to lead the profession into the future with regard to new technologies, community leadership, and access to care. The ultimate goal is to create a new concept of a “dental home” and relationships of a dental school with its various stakeholders, redefining the role of a dental school within the external community. Additionally, Dr. Iacopino worked with the CADR and other dental schools in Canada to establish the first national dental student research group in that country and currently serves as one of the national faculty advisors for this group.
Dr. Iacopino maintains a national/international reputation in dental research and dental education having presented numerous keynote lectures/symposia at meetings for the NIH-NIDCR, American Association of Dental Research (AADR), the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), and the American Dental Association (ADA). Most recently, he served as one of the inaugural mentors for the ADEA/AADR Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program, authored one of the ADEA white papers regarding change and innovation in the dental curriculum, and provided one of the session programs for the inaugural ADEA meeting on change and innovation in the dental curriculum. He also serves as a national media spokesperson for the ADA, representing the positions and messages of dentistry in many different media settings. He has served on five NIH study sections and has been a manuscript reviewer for dozens of dental and/or basic science journals. Additionally, he has been a contributing editor/editorial board member for two journals, a grant reviewer for several national/international organizations and served as the Associate Editor for Grand Rounds in Oral-Systemic Medicine, a unique interprofessional journal dedicated to communicating new scientific information and technical advances to health professionals and the public. He currently writes a monthly column entitled “Surveillance Spotlight: Current Concepts in Oral-Systemic Health” for the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. Dr. Iacopino has been PI or Co-I on dozens of research and/or training grants totaling several million dollars. He also has published hundreds of peer-reviewed manuscripts/book chapters and has presented hundreds of abstracts/invited lectures nationwide.