Installation of the
Dr. Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry and the
Natalie C. Roberts Professor of Dentistry University of Michigan School of Dentistry Monday, March 8, 2021 Via Zoom
Program Welcome Laurie K. McCauley, DDS, PhD Dean, U-M School of Dentistry William K. and Mary Anne Najjar Professor of Periodontics
Remarks
Dr. John and Mrs. Anne Roberts
Introductions Jan C. Hu, BDS, PhD Chair, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics Samuel D. Harris Collegiate Professor of Dentistry
“Understanding the Causes of Major Birth Defects - From Lysosomal Storage Disorders to Craniofacial Birth Defects” Vesa M. Kaartinen, PhD Associate Dean for Research, U-M School of Dentistry Dr. Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry Professor of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics
“Creating Materials that Communicate with the Biological World - A Career of Building Bridges” David H. Kohn, MSE, PhD Natalie C. Roberts Professor of Dentistry Professor of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics
Medal Presentation Closing Remarks
Dr. Roy and Natalie Roberts Today we celebrate the installation of the Dr. Roy H. Roberts Professorship and the inaugural installation of the Natalie C. Roberts Professorship at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. The origins of these distinctions date back to 2002 when the Dr. Roy H. Roberts endowed professorship was established to honor the distinguished alumnus and major benefactor who received his dental degree in 1932. In April 2020, the funds from the professorship exceeded $5 million and allowed for the creation of the Natalie C. Roberts Professorship, named in honor of Dr. Roberts’ wife. When the original professorship was created, Dr. Roberts indicated that it was to honor two former faculty members – Richard Kingery and Elmer Whitman – who were influential in his development as a dental student.
Vesa M. Kaartinen, PhD Dr. Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry Professor of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics Professor Kaartinen was appointed Associate Dean for Research in 2019 and has been Director of the Oral Health Sciences PhD graduate program since 2018. He joined the faculty in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences and Prosthodontics in 2008 and was promoted to associate professor in 2009 and to professor in 2014. He earned his Master of Science in biochemistry in 1986, and his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology in 1991, at the University of Kuopio in Finland. In 1996, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular biology and mouse genetics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. From 1997-2008 at USC, he held several appointments: assistant professor of research pathology; assistant professor of surgical research; assistant professor of pathology; and assistant professor of surgery. Kaartinen’s research includes more than 25 years of pioneering experience in advanced mouse genetics. His research program focuses on understanding the role of morphogens in the pathogenesis of common human birth defects. His research has been continually funded since 2000 by federal, industry and institutional grants. He has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and four book chapters. He is the co-director of cell and molecular biology, a biomedical core course presented to first-year dental students, and molecular biology in clinical dentistry in the MS program. He has mentored numerous students, including 26 graduate and undergraduate students and nine post-doctoral fellows. Many of his mentees received national awards and have continued in research-intensive careers. He serves on the editorial board of PlosOne and Developmental Biology, both high-impact journals.
David H. Kohn, MSE, PhD Natalie C. Roberts Professor of Dentistry Professor of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics David Kohn, a professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, joined the dental school in 1989. He is also a professor of biomedical engineering in the U-M College of Engineering. He received his PhD degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a research fellow from 1984-1989. His research lies at the interface of engineering and biology and focuses on understanding factors that make tissues function mechanically, and using this information to develop biosynthetic tissues and organs for clinical applications. His interest in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is the foundation for his work as co-director of the Michigan-Pittsburgh-Wyss Regenerative Medicine Resource Center, which has received the two largest grants in school history, from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health. He is also leading a U-M Biosciences Initiative Award for high-impact research to develop applications in organ and tissue replacement and regeneration. Kohn’s research has attracted federal funding for more than two decades. He has 10 patents, 20 book chapters, and 145 peer-reviewed publications in numerous journals. He is a fellow in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the International Union of Biomaterials Scientist and Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association for Dental Research. He has mentored 45 graduate students, 49 undergraduate students, six post-doctoral students, 14 clinical fellows, and five visiting scholars, many of whom are now independent, funded investigators across the country and internationally.