ROSEMONT, Ill. – Paul J. Schwartz, DMD, was introduced as the 2022-23 President of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) during its recent Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La.
With AAOMS’s other officers and Board of Trustees, Schwartz assumes leadership of the professional organization representing more than 9,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Schwartz of Pittsburgh, Pa., previously served as AAOMS President-Elect, Vice President and District II Trustee as well as chair of the Association’s Committee on Anesthesia and an AAOMS House Delegate for several years.
“I am honored to be given this opportunity to serve as AAOMS President for 2022-23,” Schwartz said during his Inaugural Address at the House of Delegates’ third session. “We are all so fortunate to belong to an organization that so deeply cares about its members and this specialty.”
Schwartz practiced oral and maxillofacial surgery in the Washington, D.C., metro area for more than 30 years before accepting an academic appointment at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. He has served as president of the Maryland Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, examiner and co-chair of medicine and anesthesia for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS).
As part of his training, Schwartz completed two residencies – in oral and maxillofacial surgery and a two-year program in anesthesiology/critical care medicine – both at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He received his doctorate in dental medicine with highest honors and was elected to the Omicron Kappa Upsilon honorary society at Pitt. Schwartz also is a diplomate of ABOMS, the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology and the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology.
Schwartz succeeds J. David Johnson Jr., DDS, who will serve as Immediate Past President. Other 2022-23 officers elected by the House of Delegates are President-Elect Mark A. Egbert, DDS, FACS; Vice President J. David Morrison, DMD; and Speaker of the House Steven R. Nelson, DDS, MS. In addition, Gregory M. Ness, DDS, FACS, joins the Board of Trustees, serving the Great Lakes states in District IV for a two-year term and replacing Morrison. Trustees Martin E. Eichner, DDS, of District II and Charles A. Crago, DMD, MD, FACS, of District V were re-elected to two-year terms.
Egbert was Chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and he continues to practice full-time there. Previously, he spent 14 years as OMS chief at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. He is an associate professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Washington and served five years as AAOMS District VI Trustee and eight years as an ABOMS examiner. He also has been president of the Western and Washington societies of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, a director on the OMS Foundation Board, AAOMS Delegate for 14 years and a member of multiple AAOMS committees.
Morrison has a private practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the senior partner in a group practice. He has served as AAOMS District IV Trustee, District IV Caucus Chair and president of the Ohio Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Cincinnati Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. In addition, Morrison has been a member of the AAOMS House of Delegates for more than 20 years. He recently finished serving as a Director on the OMS Foundation Board and previously served as a volunteer faculty member at the University of Cincinnati. Morrison also has served on multiple AAOMS committees.
Nelson was elected to his 21st term as Speaker of the House and also received AAOMS’s 2022 Presidential Achievement Award. He is a member of the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Center and practices in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Nelson, Rollert & Wells Associates in Denver, Colo. He also is past chair of the Small Donor Committee of the Colorado Dental Political Action Committee, a member of the Colorado Dental Association Government Relations Council and a volunteer with the Colorado Dental Lifeline Network (after serving as president).
Ness has taught oral and maxillofacial surgery to dental students and residents for 30 years, with special emphasis on non-surgical and surgical therapy for temporomandibular joint disease. He has served ABOMS as an examiner, section co-chair, and content expert for temporomandibular joint disease and orofacial pain. He also serves on numerous other national, regional and local committees and organizations, including the American Dental Education Association Board of Directors, and is a past president of the American Society of Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons.
Other AAOMS Trustees are, David M. Shafer, DMD, of District I; Debra M. Sacco, DMD, MD, of District III; W. Frederick Stephens, DDS, of District VI; and Treasurer Robert S. Clark, DMD. The Board also includes Secretary/Executive Director Karin Wittich, CAE.
