Education

Dr. Alexandra Tsigarida Elected Board Trustee for American Academy of Periodontology

Jul. 18, 2022
portrait of Dr. Tsigardia
EIOH Associate Professor Dr. Alexandra Tsigarida

“Dr. Alexandra Tsigarida is a natural leader and I am delighted that she earned the district’s confidence to serve in this new capacity,” said Dr. Jack Caton, chair, Eastman Institute for Oral Health’s Periodontology Department.

He is referring to EIOH Associate Professor Dr. Tsigarida’s latest accomplishment of being elected a Trustee of the American Academy of Periodontology’s Board of Directors in its 7th District, representing New York and New Jersey.

Additionally, Dr. Tsigarida serves as the EIOH program director for the Periodontology Residency Program, is on an AAP task force to evaluate pre-doctoral education this year, and is halfway through her two-year term as chair of the AAP’s Education Committee. As a previous member of this committee, she has played an integral role in producing educational modules that fill a gap in many dental school’s curricula.

Dr. Caton portrait
Dr. Jack Caton

“After surveying periodontal educators and identifying the needs of the periodontal programs across the U.S. and Canada, the education committee recruited volunteer educators to develop a list of supplementary pre-doctoral and post-doctoral educational materials collectively known as AAP Education Access,” she explained.  

To date, four of these have been produced and launched, including one developed by a workgroup led Dr. Tsigarida about treating patients with disabilities.

“They are available on the AAP website so everyone can have access, and insert them into existing curricula to complement the training of

Dr. Tsigarida seated near the patient and speaking with two residents standing nearby.
Dr. Tsigarida teaching Periodontology residents in the clinic

periodontal residents or dental students,” she added. More training modules are in the planning and production stages. 

As a new Trustee, Dr. Tsigarida plans to continue her efforts to support and improve the periodontal education at both the pre-doc and postdoctoral levels, help establish collaborations with medical colleagues, reinforce the Academy’s vision on scientific and technological innovation, and help promote the strategic planning and certification process of the American Board of Periodontology.