Jeffrey Payne, D.D.S., is promoted from Assistant Dean to Associate Dean for Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in Lincoln, effective July 1.
“Dr. Payne has been the research leader during a remarkable period of growth in the College of Dentistry’s research programs,” said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the College of Dentistry.
“Just this week we learned that we are now ranked 20th in NIH research support among all U.S. dental schools, the highest ranking our college has ever had. Although numerous faculty have contributed to our research successes, Dr. Payne has supported and directed those faculty, as well as many students, and he has set the pace with his own research activities.”
The UNMC College of Dentistry has a proud history of providing a strong clinical education, said Dr. Reinhardt, and now is demonstrating that we have one of the nation’s top dental research programs.
“Dr. Payne’s promotion to Associate Dean is in recognition of his outstanding leadership in guiding our research programs to this unprecedented level.”
Dr. Payne is a professor in the UNMC College of Dentistry Department of Surgical Specialties. In 2001 he was named the first recipient of the F. Gene and Rosemary Dixon Chair in Dentistry.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1982 from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., and in 1986 earned his doctor of dental surgery degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. In 1989 he earned a master’s degree in immunology and periodontology specialty certificate from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine in Farmington, Conn., where he taught until he joined the UNMC College of Dentistry faculty in 1991.
Dr. Payne is a board-certified periodontist, who specializes in the study and treatment of the supporting structure of the teeth. He has received awards for teaching and in 2000 received the prestigious Clinical Research Award from the American Academy of Periodontology. His current research program focuses on the relationship between oral bone loss and systemic bone loss in post-menopausal women, as well as how a novel drug may reduce bone loss in this population. His research has received funding from the federal government, private foundations and industry. Dr. Payne also treats patients as part of the faculty practice at the College of Dentistry.