CDM Launches Implant Fellowship Program

By Odelia Ghodsizadeh
December 4, 2019

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In October 2019, the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) marked the start of the CDM Implant Fellowship Program, a first-of-its-kind program for early-career faculty. Supported by Zimmer Biomet and led by Dennis Tarnow, DDS, the director of implant education and a clinical professor of dental medicine at CDM, the program aims to foster deeper understanding of and experience with dental implant restorative technology.

The inaugural CDM implant fellows are:

  • Laila Akhlaghi, DDS, Instructor in Dental Medicine at CUMC
  • Ioana Chesnoiu Matei, DDS, Instructor in Dental Medicine at CUMC
  • Michael McKenzie, DDS, Instructor in Dental Medicine at CUMC
  • Jaffer Shariff, BDS, Instructor in Dental Medicine at CUMC
  • Shannon Sullivan, DDS, Assistant Professor of Dental Medicine at CUMC
  • Charles Wei, DDS, Instructor in Dental Medicine at CUMC

Implant fellows, CDM faculty, and Zimmer Biomet representatives at a reception in November.

The CDM Implant Fellowship Program was established with a gift from Zimmer Biomet. “Zimmer Biomet made a conscious decision to invest in dental education, and that their priorities were innovation, medical education, and service,” said Doug Brown, the organization’s Associate Director of University and Institutional Education. The implant fellowship program satisfies all three of these priorities, he noted.

Over the next two years, the implant fellows will expand their skills and knowledge through weekly training in the clinic and classroom from Tarnow, Gary Greenstein, DDS, Joseph Carpentieri, DDS, and Robert Eskow, DMD. The program also has an organized mentorship component to provide additional guidance and facilitate relationship-building.

“The fellowship program is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity to have one-on-one instruction and mentorship from an elite group of doctors,” said Sullivan. “The program sets aside dedicated time and essential resources in order for us to develop as practitioners, educators, and researchers.”

Sullivan also appreciates the collaborative elements of the program. “Under the guidance of Dr. Tarnow, we share knowledge from our individual backgrounds and specialties to explore dynamic new areas of practice and research,” she said. “Thus far, I have enjoyed the program immensely and learned an enormous amount of invaluable information.”