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Sam Alawie completed his Master Dental Technician degree in Brussels, Belgium in 1994. He migrated to the United States in 2003 and opened his own full service dental laboratory in Beverly Hills, California. Sam is well versed on the importance of technical clinical communications and their implementations for successful case planning and patient satisfaction. He is a keen and avid supporter and member of many study groups. He instructed various hands-on crown and bridge courses and hosted presentations throughout Europe and the United States.

In 2012, Sam opened a state-of-the-art educational facility, Oral Design Beverly Hills which offers a spacious venue where dental professionals and students can come together to advance their knowledge, practice their craft, and exchange ideas; offering a wide range of training programs, study groups, and continuing education courses, including advanced classes with world renowned dental specialists.

In 2020 Mr. Willi Geller of the Oral Design Foundation based in Switzerland invited Sam to be an active member of the Oral Design Family.

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Dr. Richard Niederman is professor and chair, Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at New York University College of Dentistry, and Co-Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Quality-improvement, Evidence-based Dentistry (QED).

He graduated magna cum laude in 1976 from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine where he also received his periodontal specialty training. He received certificate training in Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University in 1996.

He is the founding USA editor of the journal Evidence-Based Dentistry; co-author of the book Evidence-based Dentistry, and author of more than 100 peer reviewed scientific articles.

NIH, PCORI, CMS, and foundations support his current work in urban New York and rural New Hampshire, and his prior work in urban Boston, and rural Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, and Maine. He has also collaborated on programs in Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia.

His work, over the last 15 years, focuses on creation, dissemination and implementation of community-based caries prevention programs. This now has evolved to a program of SAFE Dentistry (Safe Aerosol Free Emergent Dentistry). These bring primary and secondary preventive care to people, rather than people to care.

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In the corridors of academia, Jed Best, DDS, MS (ADL ’72, DEN ’79) has emerged as a luminary whose passion for science and technology has remained steadfast, guiding his path through the ever-evolving landscape of dentistry. Armed with a BA in psychology from CWRU, Dr. Best was pursuing PhD programs in neuroscience when CWRU extended an invitation to its dental school, altering the trajectory of his journey. Yet, even amidst the transition, his dedication to the pursuit of knowledge remained unwavering and he has emerged as an authority in the world of dental technology and materials. Most recently, Dr. Best was interviewed in the March 2024 issue of Inside Dentistry regarding the benefits of glass ionomer over other dental restorative materials.

After earning his Master of Science in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Best turned down a faculty position at CWRU to follow his then girlfriend and now wife, Wendy Freedman, Esq. (WRC ’73) to her work in New York City. Since then, Dr. Best has been a part-time faculty member at Columbia University for 45 years and served as the pediatric dentist at Sloan Kettering for 12 years where he specialized in treating bone marrow transplant patients. Dr. Best ran his own pediatric practice for 41 years and has served as a past OCE examiner for the American Board. Presently, Dr. Best is one of the section editors of the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry and holds academic appointments at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. At the invitation of Dr. Gerald Ferretti, Dr. Best has also been serving his alma mater as a Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine since 2011.

Dr. Best is board certified in Pediatric Dentistry and is a Past President of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and Past Chairman of the Foundation of the College of Diplomates. His multifaceted contributions to the field have earned him recognition as a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and both the International and American College of Dentists.

Amidst the achievements, Dr. Best remains grounded, attributing his success to the mentors and peers who shaped his journey. He expresses gratitude to former Dean Thomas DeMarco, Dr. John Gerstenmaier, Dr. Larry Fox and of course, current Dean Dr. Kenneth Chance. As a student, Dr. Best said he was always able to talk to the Dean and other department chairs whenever he needed to, and the Dean and the school supported his effort to attempt both a masters in biomedical engineering and a doctor of dental surgery degree at the same time.

Dr. Best’s commitment to giving back to his alma mater echoes the spirit of gratitude and camaraderie that defined his formative years. Dr. Best says of his class, “We had so much fun in dental school. That’s why I come back to teach and support the school. I don’t think students at other schools had as much fun. And I always feel appreciated here.”

In addition to Dr. Best’s expertise in glass ionomers, he has much to share about the use of AI in caries diagnosis, the dangers of blue light, and the potential hazards of air-powered instruments. In the labyrinth of innovation, Dr. Best has become a well regarded and sought after mentor and coach guiding the next generation of dental professionals.