Michael Miloro, D.M.D., M.D., has been named the Leon F. Davis, D.D.S., M.D., Distinguished Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at UNMC.
It is a unique honor nationally.
Out of 105 programs, less than a dozen oral and maxillofacial surgery chairs exist in the country, said Dr. Miloro, who has served as section chief and program director for oral and maxillofacial surgery at UNMC since 2002.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the Davis Chair and to follow in the footsteps of a man of dedication and integrity who has maintained a high level of excellence in oral and maxillofacial surgery at UNMC for over 30 years,” said Dr. Miloro, who also serves as director of UNMC’s postgraduate residency training program in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The $1 million endowed chair, funded through the University of Nebraska Foundation, was financed by gifts and pledges from graduates, corporations and Dr. Davis’ colleagues, family and friends. “The national and international reputation of our program is due to the consistent, relentless efforts of one man, Dr. Leon Davis,” Dr. Miloro said. “I am confident I can continue that tradition of excellence.”
The Davis Chair honors Dr. Davis’ lifelong commitment to excellence in oral and maxillofacial surgery at UNMC. It also establishes a funding source for faculty recruitment, research endeavors and other sectional needs.
Dr. Davis was among the first residents in the UNMC oral surgery residency program in 1967. By the mid-1970s he returned to the University of Nebraska to direct a groundbreaking program that, under the leadership of C.F. Singer Jr., D.D.S., had challenged the status quo in oral surgery training. In 1971, UNMC launched the country’s first integrated double degree program to train oral surgery residents in both medicine and dentistry. Dr. Davis stepped down as director in 2001, but remains on the faculty.
Of the 105 oral surgery programs in the country, roughly one-half use the double degree (D.D.S.-M.D.) model pioneered at UNMC.
Said Dr. Davis: “I’m pleased to have a named chair, but even more important for the medical center is the opportunity to enhance the oral and maxillofacial surgery. Certainly, Dr. Miloro, who has national and international recognition in oral and maxillofacial surgery education, is a fitting first recipient.”
A native of New York, Dr. Miloro joined the UNMC faculty in January 2001. He received his bachelor’s degree form the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., his D.M.D. from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston and his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He has a certificate in general surgery from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from the University of Pennsylvania.
He is editor-in-chief of “Peterson’s Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,” a second edition textbook highlighting the standards of practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. He has served on the editorial board of “Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontics” since 1996, is a manuscript reviewer for “Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery” and is president of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Clinical Interest Group on Maxillofacial Neurologic Disorders.
The UNMC oral and maxillofacial surgery program is a five-year residency for students who have completed their training in dentistry. Throughout the program, residents earn a medical degree, a general surgery certificate and an oral surgery certificate. The program’s alumni include 60 graduates.
Over the next five years, Dr. Miloro hopes to recruit additional faculty to support and enhance the resident educational experience, provide additional areas of expertise and boost research endeavors.
“The oral and maxillofacial surgery program plans to remain on the cutting-edge in the areas of distraction osteogenesis, nerve injury and repair, minimally-invasive surgery and aesthetic facial surgery,” Dr. Miloro said.
To that end, Dr. Miloro said, “…in order for the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at UNMC to reach the next level of development, it is critical to expand the clinical program, and improve patient access to the knowledge and expertise of our surgeons.”
This expansion includes the development of an ambulatory surgery facility in downtown Omaha, as well as another in West Omaha. “With these planned physical plant changes, as well as the addition of new faculty, the future of oral and maxillofacial program at UNMC looks bright, indeed,” Dr. Miloro said.