• DDS, cum laude, from the University at Buffalo
• Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology and Microbiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo;
• Vice Provost and Director of the Office of Science, Technology Transfer, and Economic Outreach at UB;
• Served as Interim Provost, and Interim Vice President for Research at UB;
• PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania
• Periodontist;
• Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Therex, LLC, a local drug start-up company;
• Conducted pioneering studies of the role of infections in increasing the risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease and stroke;
• Former president of the International Association for Dental Research, and the American Association for Dental Research;
• Served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Periodontology and Annals of Periodontology from 1988-2006;
• Member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences;
• Recipient of many awards -ADA Gold Medal for Excellence in Research, ADA Award for Clinical Research, UB Samuel B. Capen Alumni Award, and the SUNY Research Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award;
• Recipient of a honorary doctorate from Georgetown University.

Topic: "The Relationship of Periodontal Disease to Systemic Illness: Clinical Implications."