Seven Dental Faculty Recognized With Promotions, Tenure
The Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) is pleased to congratulate dental faculty promoted or awarded tenure between Jan. 1 and July 1, 2021.
“Each and every promotion represents the acknowledgment of the scholarly achievements of a member of our faculty that were judged by elected members of the faculty as meritorious,” said Christian Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, dean of CDM. “This is reason for celebration not just for the person receiving the promotion but also for the faculty at large having provided the support for the achievements to be realized. There is nothing better for a dean than seeing people get promoted.”
In recognition of their contributions, six faculty members were promoted to higher academic ranks and one faculty member was awarded tenure by Columbia University.
Tenure
Chang Hun Lee, PhD, associate professor of craniofacial engineering (in dental medicine), Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, was awarded tenure by Columbia University.
Lee is associate director of the Center for Dental and Craniofacial Research at Columbia and leads the Regenerative Engineering Laboratory at CDM. His research centers on in situ regeneration, which uses stem cells generated by the body at the site of injury to repair tissue. Lee is currently the principal investigator for two R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health and has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has presented his work at invited lectures nationally and internationally and serves on the editorial board of the journal Scientific Reports.
Lee completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University in 2010, after which he joined CDM as an associate research scientist. He was appointed an assistant professor in 2013 and advanced to associate professor in 2017.
Promotion to Associate Professor
Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, DDS, PhD, MPH, MS, Division of Periodontics, was promoted from assistant professor of dental medicine to associate professor of dental medicine (on the tenure track).
A clinician-scientist at CDM and Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Momen-Heravi leads an expanding portfolio of research projects in the areas of cancer biology and immunology, with a focus on understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment and studying elements of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancer and periodontal disease. Her scholarship has been recognized through numerous fellowships and awards on the local, national, and international levels.
Momen-Heravi received her DDS at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, followed by an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, a PhD in biotechnology and molecular biology from the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom, and an MS in periodontics from CDM. She joined the faculty of CDM in 2018.
Promotion to Assistant Professor
Dante Devoti, DMD, Division of Prosthodontics, was promoted from instructor in dental medicine to assistant professor of dental medicine at CUMC.
Devoti has an extensive role in CDM’s advanced education in general dentistry (AEGD) residency program, serving as associate director, clinical supervisor, and lecturer. He holds an appointment with NewYork-Presbyterian as an assistant attending dentist and is a member of CDM’s quality assurance committee.
Devoti has been on the CDM faculty since 2019. Prior to that, he provided dental care in private practices and hospitals in California. Devoti received his DMD from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and completed an AEGD residency at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry and David Geffen School of Medicine.
Steven Kresch, DDS, Division of Operative Dentistry, was promoted from instructor in dental medicine to assistant professor of dental medicine at CUMC.
Kresch earned his dental degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. He completed a general practice residency at Peninsula Hospital Center in Queens, New York, and served as an attending dentist there for more than two decades while also delivering care in a private practice setting. Kresch was appointed to the CDM faculty in 2018.
At CDM, Kresch delivers clinical instruction to dental students, presents on tobacco cessation, and, as an EPIC “super user,” provides training and assistance with the EPIC electronic medical record system. He is a member of regional and national professional organizations and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society.
Elizabeth Odinez-Bortfeld, DDS, Division of Operative Dentistry, was promoted from instructor in dental medicine to assistant professor of dental medicine at CUMC.
Odinez-Bortfeld is an educator at CDM and an assistant attending dentist at NewYork-Presbyterian. She provides instruction to DDS students in the simulation lab and on the clinic floor, and she facilitates orientation sessions for incoming students that focus on cultural competency and self-awareness. She was recently appointed a DDS program group leader at CDM. Odinez-Bortfeld also is nationally certified in tobacco treatment and is the principal investigator for a grant-funded tobacco-cessation program.
Odinez-Bortfield earned her DDS from the University of Michigan Dental School and treated patients in private practice for many years until an interest in teaching led her to join CDM in 2017. While in private practice, she also provided care through non-profits and humanitarian missions and was editor of the Oakland County Dental Review; for her editorial contributions she was honored by the International College of Dentists. Throughout her career Odinez-Bortfield has been active in organized dentistry, and she currently serves on the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics.
Seung Jun Song, DMD, MS, Division of Prosthodontics, was promoted from instructor in dental medicine to assistant professor of dental medicine at CUMC.
Since joining the CDM faculty in 2019, Song has taught clinical and didactic courses to predoctoral and postdoctoral students, and he currently directs the preclinical prosthodontics course taken by third-year DDS students. Song also provides patient care through the faculty practice, ColumbiaDoctors Dentistry. Earlier in his career, Song served as general director of JUN Dental Clinic in Seoul, South Korea, for nearly seven years.
Song received his DMD from Kyunghee University School of Dentistry in Seoul. He subsequently earned a Master of Science through CDM’s postdoctoral training program in prosthodontics.
Joseph Wang, DDS, MS, Division of Periodontics, was promoted from instructor in clinical dental medicine to assistant professor of clinical dental medicine.
Wang earned his DDS and MS in periodontics from CDM. He is a board-certified periodontist practicing in a private office in New Jersey and has concurrently served on the CDM faculty part-time since completing his master’s in 2017. As an educator in the periodontics postdoctoral program, Wang teaches the fundamentals of periodontics and implant therapy, supervises patient care, and advises residents on research projects.
During his training, Wang was honored with multiple CDM awards recognizing clinical, academic, and scholarly achievement, including the Melvin L. Morris Award for excellence in periodontics and the Birnberg Research Day postdoctoral award.
