Faculty Promotions

Toru Deguchi, DDS, MS, PhD

Promoted to the rank of Professor. Dr. Deguchi earned a DDS degree from Aichi-Gakuin Dental University, and a PhD in neuroscience from Okayama University School of Dentistry (Japan). He also received a Master of Science in Dentistry degree and a certificate in orthodontics from Indiana University’s School of Dentistry. His professional career has included serving as a Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Okayama University, and he has been a Visiting Research Associate and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Orthodontics at Indiana University.

Dr. Deguchi is the Graduate Program Director in the college’s Division of Orthodontics, serving as the program’s leader and participating in its teaching and patient care components. In this role, he provides didactic and clinical instruction to residents in the advanced education program in orthodontics. He also initiates curricular enhancements that include introducing technique laboratory experiences, and incorporating 3-D imagining technologies to facilitate orthodontic diagnoses and treatment planning. In his clinical practice, Dr. Deguchi cares for patients in the college’s Dental Faculty Practice whose orthodontic needs include malocclusion and craniofacial anomalies, as well as the use of in-house aligner therapy for interdisciplinary care.

Having published widely on orthodontics-related subjects, he is a renowned authority whose work on skeletal temporary anchorage devices (TADS) resulted in his recognition as the second most-cited orthodontic author from 1946-2016. He has also been an invited lecturer at numerous international conferences, presenting on such topics as implant-anchored orthodontics, evidence-based orthodontics, and assessments of orthodontic clinical outcomes. Dr. Deguchi is a member of the International Association for Dental Research, the American Association of Orthodontics, the College of the American Board of Orthodontics, and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. ■

Sara Fowler, DMD, ’10 MS

Promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Fowler received her DMD degree from the University of Nevada (Las Vegas) School of Dental Medicine, after which she completed a General Practice Residency and earned a Master of Science degree and certificate in endodontics from Ohio State’s College of Dentistry. Since joining the college, she has served as a Clinical Instructor of Predoctoral Endodontics, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endodontics and, currently, as the Director of Pre-doctoral Endodontics and the Dental Emergency Clinic.

As an educator, Dr. Fowler directs several pre-doctoral didactic, laboratory, and clinical courses. She is also a course director and a clinical attending for residents in the advanced education program in endodontics. As a clinician, she provides her expertise for patients in the college’s Dental Faculty Practice by offering diagnostic and therapeutic endodontic treatments. Her related research investigates the prevention of pain associated with endodontic procedures, and methods for addressing pulpal disease. Her findings have appeared in such high-impact publications as the Journal of the American Dental Association and the Journal of Endodontics.

Serving as a longtime adviser for members of the American Student Dental Association, Dr. Fowler has also received numerous Student Government Teaching awards, in addition to being chosen as an Honored Hooder. Other special recognitions include her selection by the college faculty as a recipient of the Larry J. Peterson Young Educators Award, which honors faculty members who have taught for 1-3 years and shown “exceptional enthusiasm for teaching.” As a college representative, she has served on the university’s Council on Academic Affairs; the Ohio Dental Association’s Council on Membership Services, and the American Association of Endodontists’ Graduate Research and Annual Session Planning Committees. ■

Courtney Jatana, DDS, ’11 MS

Promoted to the rank of Associate Professor-Clinical. Dr. Jatana earned her DDS degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She continued her professional education by completing a Master of Science degree and a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from Ohio State’s College of Dentistry. As a faculty member in the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) and Dental Anesthesiology, her responsibilities include serving as the clinic and course director for the pre-doctoral program in oral surgery; conducting all consults for patients of pre-doctoral students; and providing primary oversight of the care they deliver. For the college’s OMFS residents, she provides didactic instruction and clinical training in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic.

Dr. Jatana’s clinical responsibilities include supporting outpatient care services in the college’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic, as well as serving “on call” to treat patients with traumatic injuries and odontogenic infections who present to the emergency department at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC). She also provides oral and maxillofacial surgical care for patients in the college’s Dental Faculty Practice, at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and in the hospitals that are among the OSUWMC facilities.

With research interests that focus on bone regeneration, maxillofacial trauma, and reconstruction, Dr. Jatana has received the college’s Clinical Research Paper of the Year Award, and she was honored with the Faculty Educator Development Award presented by the American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and she was among the first non-physicians to be inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. ■

Lisa A. Lang, DDS, MS, MBA

Promoted to the rank of Professor. Dr. Lang serves as Chair of the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry. She began her career as a dental hygienist, receiving her BS in Dental Hygiene degree from the University of Michigan. She then earned a DDS degree from the University of Michigan and completed an AEGD program at Columbia University. Following that, she completed an MS degree and a certificate in prosthodontics from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTHSCSA), as well as an MBA in Health Care Management from Texas Tech University. Prior to joining Ohio State’s College of Dentistry, Dr. Lang served as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry; an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine; and an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor with tenure at the UTHSCSA School of Dentistry. At Case Western Reserve University’s School of Dental Medicine, she was a tenured Associate Professor; an Assistant Dean of Clinical Education; and Chair of the Department of Comprehensive Care.

As a faculty member in the college’s Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry, Dr. Lang provides instruction to dental students and residents in the areas of prosthodontics and implant dentistry. While fulfilling these responsibilities, she serves as a classroom lecturer, bench instructor, and clinic supervisor. As chair of the division, she supports the recruitment of new faculty; provides guidance for junior faculty; and oversees the activities of more than 40 direct reports.

Throughout her career, Dr. Lang has held leadership roles in a number of national dental organizations that include the American College of Prosthodontists, the American Dental Education Association, and the American Academy of Prosthodontics. She currently serves on the editorial review boards for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, the Journal of Prosthodontics, and the International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants. She is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics. ■

Zongyang Sun, DDS, MS, MSD, PhD

Promoted to the rank of Professor. Dr. Sun received his DDS degree and an MS degree from the West China University of Medical Sciences in Chengdu, China. He then enrolled at the University of Washington, earning a PhD in oral biology, as well as a Master of Science in Dentistry degree and a certificate in orthodontics. Since he joined Ohio State’s College of Dentistry, he has served as a Graduate Faculty member in the Division of Biosciences, and an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor with tenure in the Division of Orthodontics.

Dr. Sun’s responsibilities include providing instruction to dental students, orthodontic residents, and oral biology PhD candidates. For pre-doctoral students, he is responsible for their education on the biological aspects of tooth movement, as well as other fundamental aspects of orthodontic treatments. His educational support for residents includes didactic instruction on an array of basic science and clinical topics in orthodontics, in addition to supervising their clinical care of patients. For the PhD students, Dr. Sun provides lectures and seminars on bone biology and advises them on their dissertation projects. As a practitioner, he treats adolescent and adult patients in the college’s Dental Faculty Practice who seek care related to oral habits, malocclusion, tooth impaction, and orthognathic surgery.

Dr. Sun maintains an active research program focused on craniofacial bone regeneration for the treatment of patients with skeletal defects, and the reliability of 3-D radiography imaging in orthodontic diagnoses. He is currently conducting research funded by the National Institutes of Health - National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research that explores the use of stem cells in craniofacial tissue engineering. His research endeavors have produced numerous publications on such topics as craniofacial bone distraction osteogenesis; alveolar bone reduction after tooth loss; and cone beam CT applications in dentistry. Dr. Sun is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. ■