“The U-M is fortunate to have found a leader with the outstanding credentials Dr. Polverini brings to the Dental School,” says President Coleman. “His pioneering work in angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels), and its relation to cancer and other diseases, has earned him a stellar scientific reputation”

In 1992 Dr. Polverini came to the U-M as a professor of dentistry and chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. He was appointed chair of the Department of Oral Medicine, Pathology, and Surgery in 1995, and a year later became chair of the Department of Oral Medicine, Pathology, and Oncology. In 1996 he also was awarded the Donald A. Kerr Endowed Collegiate Professorship.

“A World-Class Institution”

Polverini says while getting closer to family and friends was part of the motivation for returning to U-M his desire to continue active research was also in the forefront of his decision.

“Returning to Michigan gives me the opportunity to be in a world-class academic institution where there is freedom to be creative at a level not possible in many other institutions,” Polverini says. “U-M is a resource-rich environment.”

Polverini was chosen from a rich pool of candidates says Search Committee chair Dr. Laurie McCauley, professor of dentistry and chair of the Department of Periodontics, Prevention, Geriatrics.

“We were looking for a leader who could successfully approach the challenges of running a complex program that involves not only research but extensive teaching and patient care,” says McCauley. “Peter Polverini is an outstanding candidate who has a breadth of strengths. He has an impressive record of scholarly accomplishments, and brings a wealth of experience in administering the multifaceted aspects of an academic program in dentistry.”

Polverini’s career began at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1977, where he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences. In 1981 he was recruited to Northwestern University Medical and Dental School. While at Northwestern, Polverini directed the Laboratory of Diagnostic Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, helped organize a graduate Ph.D. program in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and developed the Northwestern University Dental School undergraduate dental student research program.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a DDS from Marquette University. He completed specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and was awarded the Doctor of Medical Sciences degree from the Harvard Medical School.

Polverini is on the editorial board of Laboratory Investigation and the Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine, and is an associate editor of the journal Angiogenesis. He currently is a charter member of the National Cancer Institute’s Subcommittee C, Basic and Preclinical Sciences review committee. Polverini also has an active NIH funded research program that focuses on angiogenic signaling pathways, gene expression, and cell survival mechanisms pertinent to tumor development and angiogenesis-dependent diseases.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.

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