Speakers

Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Louis G. Mercuri, DDS, MS is a Cum Laude graduate of Georgetown University School of Dentistry, Washington, DC. He received his Certification and Master of Science degree in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Dr. Mercuri was a full-time member of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery faculties at the University of Illinois Chicago College Of Dentistry and the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry, Richmond, Virginia.

He has been Chairman of the Department/Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Chicago Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and Loyola University Chicago Medical Center. He is presently the Clinical Consultant for TMJ Concepts, Ventura California.

Dr. Mercuri is a Life Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a Retired Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He is also a member and has held office in numerous other professional associations.

Over his career, Dr. Mercuri has been the recipient of numerous research grants, published extensively and has been invited to lecture nationally and internationally on the diagnosis, non-surgical and surgical management of temporomandibular joint disorders.

He is the recipient of the 2009 Oral and Maxillofacial Foundation Research Recognition Award, the 2010 William J. Gies Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship in Faculty of Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England for his body of work in the area of alloplastic temporomandibular joint replacement.

Marcus Teschke is the attending surgeon at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery at the University of Bonn Germany.   Born in Klotz Germany, Dr. Marcus Teschke attended the University of Bonn, Germany. 

Dr. Marcus Teschke clinical interests and research efforts have focused on TMJ surgery and TMJ tissue engineering in cooperation with Friedrich-Baur-Institute Bayreuth, Germany (cooperation partner: Daniel Seitz, Biologist, head of the Institute).  

Dr Marcus Teschke professional organizations include the European Society of Temporo-mandibular Joint Surgery, European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the European Board of Oro-Maxillofacial Surgery and the German Association of Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery. 

Dr. Mark Wong is a tenured Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, where he also serves as the Director of Residency Training. He holds clinical appointments to Memorial Hermann Hospital, Ben Taub General Hospital, LBJ General Hospital and The Methodist Hospital. He also holds academic appointments with The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston and the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University.

Dr. Wong has actively served on a number of local and national committees and is currently Immediate Past-President of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery after serving many years as an examiner.

His clinical interests and research efforts have focused on maxillofacial traumatology, facial reconstruction, tissue engineering of bone and the biomechanical characterization and regeneration of the temporomandibular joint. He has delivered numerous CE courses and lectures in these areas both nationally and internationally and authored textbook chapters and papers on these subjects. Current research in the field of regenerative medicine is supported through NIH funding and the Department of Defense’s Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

Local Keynote Speakers:

Johnny Huard, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh is a professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Pathology and also the director of the Stem Cell Research Center. He has been named the Henry J. Mankin Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery Research. Dr. Huard is also deputy director for cellular therapy at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (MIRM) and an associate director of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI). Dr. Huard is co-founder of Cook MyoSite, Inc., a biotechnology company.

Dr. Huard’s main research focus is to expand the possibilities of tissue engineering by unlocking the potential of gene therapy and adult stem cell research and transferring research findings into the development of effective treatments for damaged or diseased tissues as they relate to the musculoskeletal system. He has established international recognition for his research discoveries in this area and made significant preclinical advances in the isolation, identification and characterization of muscle-derived stem cells. He is currently using those findings to explore and develop cutting-edge treatment programs to address Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and a variety of orthopaedic diseases and injuries including muscle injuries and repair and regeneration of bone and articular cartilage. Dr. Huard’s research program is funded by a variety of sources including the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as other private and public foundations. Dr. Huard has been recognized by University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award. Other honors include the University of Quebec Prix D’Excellence in 2007.