Not long after graduating from Punjab University School of Dentistry in India in 1963, Dr. Rajinder K. Jain considered moving to the U.S. to establish a private practice. But an opportunity arose to conduct research on oral cancer risks Indians face as a result of the widespread practice of chewing tobacco, so Dr. Jain put off his plans to leave. "I believed that I could save lives by staying in India and raising oral cancer awareness through my research, " says Dr. Jain, now an Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Medicine. His decision led to the publication of a pioneering study, which established a link between tobacco chewing and the development of precancerous lesions, helping to begin a much – needed discussion about oral cancer prevention. At that time, Dr. Jain conducted research and developed his teaching skills as a faculty member at the Indore College of Dentistry.

Dr. Jain did eventually come to the U. S. in 1971 for additional training at NYUCD. He joined the faculty two years later. Today, Dr. Jain spends four days a week teaching radiology at NYUCD and one day practicing privately in Brooklyn.

"After 34 years, Dr. Jain still takes on every new teaching challenge with passion, " says Dr. Joan Phelan, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Medicine. " Last January, for example, when we reduced the new patient admissions and screening protocol from two appointments to one, Dr. Jain took the lead in showing students how to continue to maintain the highest radiology standards under the new system. "

"Indian students especially rely on him for advice on communicating effectively with American patients and preparing for multiple choice tests, which are less common in India, " says Dr. Fiza Singh, a 2007 graduate of the Advanced Placement DDS Program, who is originally from Bangalore. And because Dr. Jain has strong ties to the local Indian community, new arrivals find him to be a good source for referrals on everything from childcare to housing.

Asked why he has made such a long – term commitment to teaching at NYUCD, Dr. Jain offers a simple explanation. "When you work with young people," he says, "you stay young."