Dr. Charles Bertolami, newly-appointed Herman Robert Fox Dean of the NYU College of Dentistry, is a nationally-recognized expert in the fields of connective tissue repair and disorders of the temporomandibular joint. A leader in dental education, Dean Bertolami has become known for his advocacy of academic careers in dental research and education.
Prior to joining NYU on September 1, 2007, Dr. Bertolami had served since 1995 as Dean and Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of California-San Francisco School of Dentistry. Prior to that, he was Professor and Chair of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Section at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Dentistry and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Chief of the Dental Service at the UCLA Medical Center. From 1983-1988, he was Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and in the Department of Surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
His research and scholarly interest has focused on orofacial tissue repair, the use of sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders, and professional ethics. His research has been consistently funded by the NIH, and, while chair of oral and maxillofacial surgery at UCLA, he served as the Principal Investigator for the UCLA-Drew Regional Research Center for Minority Oral Health. He has been the recipient of and principal investigator on many research grants, and the author of numerous articles in scholarly and research publications. Dr. Bertolami is the recipient of many awards and honors. He is the President-Elect of the American Dental Education Association and is a former President of the American Association for Dental Research.
A native Ohioan, Dr. Bertolami received an AA degree with distinction from Lorain County Community College, majored in liberal arts at the Ohio State University, and received his DDS degree, summa cum laude, from Ohio State in 1974. Subsequently, he began graduate work at Harvard, receiving a Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMedSc) degree in 1979. He received specialty training in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, serving as chief resident from 1979-80.