Dr. Ronnie Myers, dean of Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM), is a distinguished leader in academic dentistry. In his time as Dean, Dr. Myers has led the advancement of the school, forging partnerships with community health centers, hospitals and dental organizations to advance the dental education of TCDM students, and collaborating with elected officials and community partners to develop programs that improve the oral and overall health of the community. Dr. Myers was appointed the second dean of TCDM in July 2017 after previously serving as senior associate dean for academic and administrative affairs. In his previous deanship role, Dr. Myers was responsible for the development, management, and integration of TCDM’s academic curriculum, in addition to managing faculty affairs, including development, appointments and promotions. 

A trained pediatric dentist, Dr. Myers began his career in academic dentistry at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine teaching pediatric residents, while simultaneously working at the Bronx Developmental Center treating children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1982, he joined Columbia full-time as Director of the General Practice Residency Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. As program director, he initiated a screening program for pre-cardiac transplant patients and helped forge an affiliation with Memorial Sloan Kettering to develop a two-year oncology program for dental residents. 

In 1991, Dr. Myers was appointed assistant dean for clinical affairs at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and was promoted to Associate Dean in 2001. He served as the institution’s vice dean for administrative affairs from 2011-2012 and 2013-2016, and also held the position of interim dean at the college from July 2012-August 2013. 

In addition to his current administrative duties at TCDM, Dr. Myers currently teaches “Radiographic Interpretation” and “Ethics and Professionalism.” He also lectures on pathomedicine, microbiology and immunology, infection prevention, issues in dentistry and the relationship between systemic disease and oral health. 

Dr. Myers currently sits on NYS Academic Dental Centers Dean’s Council and on the MetLife Dental Advisory Council as well as being a consultant to the Commission on Dental Accreditation. He is a reviewer for the “Journal of the American Dental Association,” the “Journal of Dental Education” the “International Journal of Dental Research” and the “American Journal of Infection Control.” Dr. Myers is a former member and Chair of the New York State Board of Dentistry and is a past Chair of the American Dental Education Association Section on Clinic Administration. Dr. Myers is licensed to practice dentistry in the state of New York.

Areas of Expertise

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Academic Dentistry
• Infection Prevention in Dentistry
• Systemic Disease and Oral Health

Clinical Specialty

• Pediatric Dentistry

Education

• B.S., Biology, Syracuse University
• D.D.S., Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• Fellowship in Special Needs Pediatric Dentistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Publications

• Cohen JL, De Bie F, Viaene AN, et. al. "Extrauterine support of pre-term lambs achieves similar transcriptomic profiling to late pre-term lamb brains." Scientific reports, 14(1), (2024) 28840. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79095-7
• Friedes BD, DiNofia AM, Iannone E, et. al. "Therapies and outcomes following extramedullary relapse of pediatric and young adult ALL after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy." Blood advances, (), (2024) . pii: bloodadvances.2024014518. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2024014518
• Atkins JB, Difulvio S, Boneh J, et. al. "Exploring the Link Between Early Technology Exposure and Developmental Milestones in Childhood." Cureus, 16(10), (2024) e71791. doi: 10.7759/cureus.71791
• McDonald CC, Labows C, Myers RK, et. al. "Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Autistic Adolescents Transitioning to Independent Driving." Journal of autism and developmental disorders, (), (2024) . doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06626-6
• Winn AS, Naifeh MM, Hilgenberg S, et. al. "An Untold Story: The Feelings of Pediatric Residents Early in the Covid-19 Pandemic and What They Can Teach Us Today." Academic pediatrics, (), (2024) 102602. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.102602
• Marjanovic S, Page A, Stone E, et. al. "Systems mapping: a novel approach to national lung cancer screening implementation in Australia." Translational lung cancer research, 13(10), (2024) 2466-2478. doi: 10.21037/tlcr-24-425
• Pulaski H, Harrison SA, Mehta SS, et. al. "Clinical validation of an AI-based pathology tool for scoring of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis." Nature medicine, (), (2024) . doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03301-2

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Recent Presentations

• Yancoskie, Aaron; Myers, Ronnie; “Flipped Predoctoral Pathology and Medicine Curriculum:  The Student Experience”, American Dental Educators Association. Chicago, Illinois (March 2019).
• Ronnie Myers, D.D.S., “Agile Leadership in a VUCA World,” Panel Dean Conference, Charleston, South Carolina (November 2019). 

Memberships and Affiliations

• American College of Dentists, Fellow
• International College of Dentists, Fellow
• 9th District Dental Association Education Committee, Co-Chair  
• NYS Academic Dental Centers Dean’s Council
• MetLife Dental Advisory Council
• Commission on Dental Accreditation, Consultant
• New York State Board of Dentistry, Former Member and Chair 
• American Dental Education Association Section on Clinic Administration, Former Chair
• American Dental Association 
• American Dental Education Association 
• Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention