The Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding on October 1, 2021. The event, which included a series of presentations by faculty, alumni, and residents, celebrated past achievements of the division and launched its third decade of presence and service.
Presentations were made at the ceremony by Head of Division, Dr. Joseph Ghafari, and full-time faculty members Anthony Macari, Ramzi Haddad, and Kinan Zeno; in addition to current residents and Dr. Nabil Barakat on behalf of part-time faculty members. Video recordings of each graduating class were also played and various alumni participated online and in person.
The division was founded in October 2001 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. This came 61years after the closure of the AUB dental school (1910-1940) which was the first in Lebanon and the region and was rated a “Class 'A' school ranked on the same level with any class 'A' schools in the United States of America," as stated by AUB President David Stuart Dodge in 1926.
Dr. Ghafari is a graduate of Saint Joseph University, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania where he had been a professor of orthodontics. With the vision to build a new advanced scholarly and clinical model program that offers a combined three-year master's and residency, Ghafari recruited a body of teachers later described by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) as “excellent." They soon set a high bar for the admission of residents, graduates of Lebanese and international dental schools, who must pass a multifaceted examination to be accepted.
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