Ann Arbor, MI — April 8, 2011 — The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is inaugurating an endowed professorship named for a pioneer in the dental specialty of periodontics. The Major M. Ash Collegiate Professorship in Periodontics honors the memory of Dr. Major McKinley Ash, a world leader and icon in dentistry who died in March 2007 at the age of 85. Generous gifts from School of Dentistry friends and several alumni who were students of the late Dr. Ash funded the professorship.

The first School of Dentistry faculty member to be named to the Ash Professorship is Dr. Russell Taichman. A professor of dentistry in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, Taichman also directs the School’s Scholars Program in Dental Leadership and is an adjunct professor at the College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts.

"To be named the first Ash Professor is unbelievably humbling and a great honor," Taichman said. "He was such an enormous influence in dentistry that there is hardly a practitioner in the country, and indeed the world, who has not been influenced by his work."

Taichman earned a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1986 and a DMSc from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine four years later. He came to Michigan in 1992. His research niche focuses on how bone cells regulate stem cell function and development. Closely related to that is his research that seeks to understand how prostate cancer cells thwart stem cell development and function.

Dr. Laurie McCauley, chair of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, said, "Professor Taichman's work is at the leading edge of stem cell and bone biology with broad impact in the fields of hematopoiesis, skeletal biology, and oncology. His work is highly cited, highly regarded and epitomizes the excellence in scholarly work that Major Ash was known for worldwide."

Endowed professorships are awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated a sustained high level of achievement and are meant to empower the faculty member to make further significant contributions to his or her field. "The Major Ash Professorship brings honor and recognition to Professor Taichman as well as highlighting the respect that Dr. Ash garnered and his impact in periodontics,"McCauley added.

During a distinguished 53-year career with the U-M School of Dentistry, Dr. Ash established a global reputation as a clinical researcher, prolific writer, mentor, and professor extraordinaire. He was posthumously inducted into the School's Hall of Honor in 2008. Established in 2003, the Hall of Honor acknowledges some of the legends of the dental and dental hygiene professions who, during their careers, were associated with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Endowed Professorships

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry has several types of endowed professorships that can be set up with gifts of $500,000 or more. Collegiate professorships, such as the Major Ash Collegiate Professorship, are often funded with endowment gifts from many individuals who wish to honor a former faculty member. Others include faculty development professorships, research professorships, visiting professorships, faculty professorships, and an endowed deanship.

These professorships are one of the most effective ways to ensure that the best scholars are attracted to the U-M School of Dentistry and remain. “Endowed professorships are extraordinary statements that tell an educator, ‘We want to reward your achievements and encourage your future growth here at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’,” said Richard Fetchiet, director of alumni relations, development, and continuing dental education.

http://www.dent.umich.edu/news/2011/march/are-bones-conduit-certain-cancers
Dr. Major Ash and family feature_DentalUM.pdf
Dr. Russell Taichman_Faculty Profile_DentalUM_2009.pdf