Eastman Institute for Oral Health Director Meyerowitz to Step Down
A search committee, led by the Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Mark B. Taubman, M.D., will perform a national search for the next director of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH), as current director Cyril Meyerowitz, D.D.S., M.S., prepares to step down in one year. The EIOH, which replaced Eastman Dental Center as a University of Rochester Medical Center division in 2008, is the integrated entity responsible for research, education and clinical care in dentistry at the University.
Meyerowitz, professor and chair of Dentistry since 1991, and director of Eastman Dental Center since 1999, had agreed with the creation of the Institute, to end his leadership term in 2011. He will remain on as an active member of the faculty.
“Dr. Meyerowitz provided 10 years of inspirational leadership for Eastman Dental Center after its merger with the University in 1998 and was instrumental in establishing the new Institute,” said University President Joel Seligman. “We are grateful for his unprecedented contributions to our patients and the Medical Center. He leaves Eastman Institute for Oral Health well poised for a very bright future.”
“With an unwavering commitment, Dr. Meyerowitz’s vision and leadership have helped the Medical Center become a national model in providing oral health, graduate education, research and clinical care,” said University of Rochester Medical Center CEO Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D.
“It has been a privilege and honor to lead Eastman Dental Center and then Eastman Institute for Oral Health over the past decade,” Meyerowitz said. “The University of Rochester, with its strong commitment to EIOH, is fertile ground for innovation and leadership in dental education, research, and clinical care. I look forward to a smooth transition to new leadership of one of the premier dental academic institutions in the country.”
Under Meyerowitz’s leadership, Eastman Dental expanded its community service programs, dramatically improving access to care by establishing more sites throughout the region and improving clinical services.
During Meyerowitz’s tenure, the Eastman Institute for Oral Health ranked fourth in National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research funding. His efforts have focused on strengthening the link between basic, translational research and clinical research.
“He has worked diligently, spearheading the efforts to re-engineer clinical operations, which resulted in a $3.9 million state grant to build a first-of-its kind dental urgent care clinic, increase clinical capacity, update technology, and renovate the clinical facilities while focusing on improving customer service,” said Taubman. “He played an integral role in the recent redesign of the master’s program in Dental Science, which will train residents in clinical and translational research and help recruit clinician/scientists as faculty.”
Meyerowitz will remain active as a URMC /EIOH faculty member and researcher, while maintaining his leadership roles on a national level. He was recently named chair of the Council on Dental Education and Licensure, an American Dental Association agency dedicated to promoting high quality and effective processes of dental education, licensure and credentialing in the U.S. He was also elected chair of the New York State Academic Dental Centers.
Meyerowitz has been active in research initiatives related to salivary function and oral health in patients with chronic renal failure, those who have undergone head and neck radiation and cancer chemotherapy, and those with HIV. He is widely published and has served on the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation and the American Dental Education Association’s Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education. He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and is frequently a keynote speaker at oral health meetings around the world.
Founded nearly 100 years ago by George Eastman, Eastman Institute for Oral Health today employs 500 people and is a world leader in research and post-doctoral education in general and pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery. Service includes 147,000 patient visits caring for children and adults throughout the Greater Rochester region at many locations.
Author
