Dr. Vincent Iacono Installed as the Tarrson Family Professor of Periodontology
Pictured, from left: Mary R. Truhlar, interim dean of the School of Dental Medicine; Nolen Levine, a board member at the Tarrson Foundation for Dental Research; Camille Canzone, wife of Ronald Tarrson with the Tarrson Foundation; donor Ronald Tarrson, president of the Tarrson Foundation board; Dr. Iacono; Linda Tarrson, a Tarrson Foundation board member; Stony Brook President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD; and Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine.
October 30, 2014 – Vincent J. Iacono, DMD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Chair of the Department of Periodontology, and a nationally recognized leader in periodontology research and education, was formally installed as the inaugural Tarrson Family Professor of Periodontology in the School of Dental Medicine during a Stony Brook University Investiture Ceremony.
The Tarrson Family Professorship of Periodontology will be built on the tradition of excellence that has been created in the School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Periodontology. The Professorship will be instrumental in building the educational, patient care, basic and translational research endeavors created by the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Periodontics, strengthening Stony Brook’s position as a leader in the field of Periodontology.
Named in honor of the late Bud Tarrson, an international leader in the dental products industry, the professorship was made possible by the philanthropy of Bud’s wife, Linda Tarrson, his son Ronald Tarrson, and members of the E. Bud Tarrson Foundation for Dental Research board.
“Endowed professorships represent an investment in the continued success of the outstanding scholarship and teaching of individual faculty, the success of our University which supports their work, and the students whose lives they touch,” said Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, Stony Brook University President. “The Tarrsons’ generosity has endowed positions at dental institutions across the country, including at UCLA, University of Southern California and Northwestern. Stony Brook is humbled by the Tarrson family generosity, and we are delighted to be joining such esteemed company.”
“This is the first endowed professorship in the history of the School of Dental Medicine, and this tremendous milestone would not be possible without the Tarrson family in conjunction with a matching gift from the Simons Foundation,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine. “Gifts such as this are a testament to the strong culture of philanthropy being built at the School of Dental Medicine.”
A faculty member of the School of Dental Medicine since 1974, Dr. Iacono has published more than 100 papers, abstracts and textbook chapters and has been active in the governance of numerous regional, national and international professional organizations. He currently mentors nine post-doctoral students and 53 graduates of the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Periodontics.
“Dr. Vincent Iacono truly epitomizes the standard for an endowed professor, and he has achieved the highest level of recognition in his field,” said Mary Truhlar, DDS, MS, Interim Dean of the School of Dental Medicine, when introducing Dr. Iacono. “His interest in periodontal regenerative techniques and dental implants has had a wide impact in periodontology, and he continues to conduct support research in a number of areas including bone and soft tissue regeneration.”
“I am honored and humbled to be the Tarrson Family Professor of Periodontology,” Dr. Iacono said. “My work at Stony Brook and its academic environment is central to what I have been able to accomplish. Also, through education and research we are able to enhance the oral health of the public, and philanthropy like the generous support of the Tarrson family is so critical to that process.”
Linda Tarrson and Ronald Tarrson both recognized Dr. Iacono as a scholar, educator and individual committed to periodontology. They said that Dr. Iacono’s outstanding contributions in teaching and scholarship, and his exemplary service to dental medicine, further extends the legacy of Bud Tarrson and his commitment to dentistry, oral hygiene, research and education.
“This professorship creates a lasting legacy to my father at one of the best dental schools in the country,” Ronald Tarrson said. “Establishing this professorship was an ideal way for the Tarrson Foundation to give back to the dental profession.”
More about Dr. Vincent J. Iacono
Dr. Iacono received a DMD degree and certificate in periodontology and oral medicine from Harvard University, and a certificate in immunology from the Forsyth Institute. He achieved the status of Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology, and founded the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Periodontics at Stony Brook. He is involved in several ongoing research projects, including the ability to enhance bone and soft tissue regeneration around teeth and implants by using novel perforated resorbable barrier membranes.
In addition, Dr. Iacono is investigating the possibility of incorporating biological mediators of bone formation, ie, Simvastatin, as controlled release agents to enhance bone formation by gingival stem cells.
Dr. Iacono has been active in the governance of numerous professional organizations. He is past president of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), the International Academy of Periodontology, the Northeastern Society of Periodontists (NESP) and the Academy of Osseointegration (AO). He is the current director of the American Board of Periodontology and vice president of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation.
He also has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the Isadore Hirschfeld Award and Irwin Scopp Award from the NESP, the Oral Research Award and Fellowship from the AO, the Charles W. Finley Visiting Scholar Education Grant from the AAP Foundation and the Presidential Award from the AAP.
