JOHN I. INGLE STUDY CLUB
FACULTY MENTORS

Dr. Ilan Rotstein (Endodontics) - Founder
Dr. Rotstein is Professor of Endodontics at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. He has served in leadership roles for various dental organizations including Chair of the Research Committee of the International Federation of Endodontic Associations (IFEA), President of the Southern California Academy of Endodontists, member on committees of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), European Society of Endodontology (ESE) and as scientific reviewer for international endodontic and dental journals. He has also served as Associate Dean of Continuing Dental Education at USC for 17 years and Chair of Endodontics at USC for 20 years.
Dr. Rotstein has published over 190 scientific articles and research abstracts in the dental literature as well as chapters in international endodontic textbooks including Ingle’s Endodontics, Pathways of the Pulp, Endodontics: Principles and Practice, Seltzer and Bender's Dental Pulp, and Harty's Endodontics in Clinical Practice. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the 7th edition of the classic textbook Ingle’s Endodontics and web editor of the 11th and 12th editions of the textbook Cohen’s Pathways of the Pulp. Dr. Rotstein has lectured in more than 25 countries throughout 5 continents.

Dr. Khalid Alhezaimi (Endodontics, Periodontics)
Dr. AlHezaimi is a full-time Clinical Professor at the Department of Endodontics and Periodontics, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He authored and co-authored more than 110 publications and textbook chapters, including a chapter in the latest edition of the authoritative textbook- Ingle's Endodontics. Dr. AlHezaimi received the prestigious KSU Distinguished Scientist Award as well as many high recognition awards for his contributions to advancement of dental sciences. He is a Board Diplomate of both the American Board of Endodontics and the American Board of Periodontics. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists in Canada in Endodontics. Dr. AlHezaimi's clinical practice is limited to Endodontics and Periodontics.

Dr. Yaara Berdan (Endodontics, Pedodontics)
Dr. Berdan is Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry and Director of DDS endodontics at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California (USC). Upon graduation from dental school at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), she completed a pediatric dentistry residency at Children’s Hospital in Boston and practiced pediatric dentistry in the Boston area for a few years. Her interest in dental traumatology led her to complete an advanced endodontic program at the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). She returned with her family to the Los Angeles area where she practiced endodontics for almost 10 years before transitioning to teaching. Dr. Berdan is active in the American Dental Education Association. She is the faculty representative of her current school of dentistry and is the immediate past Chair of the Endodontics Section. She has lectured locally and nationally on a variety of endodontic topics.

Dr. Leif K. Bakland (Endodontics)
Dr. Bakland is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Endodontics at Loma Linda University. His professional career has been devoted to teaching, research, and patient care. He is author and co-author of more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters. He was co-editor of the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions of Ingle’s Endodontics. His interest in dental trauma spans several decades and he is co-editor of 3 editions of Traumatic Dental Injuries and was an associate editor of Dental Traumatology. He has lectured worldwide on dental trauma and endodontics and has received many awards, including the I. B. Bender Lifetime Educator Award by the American Association of Endodontists and the J.O. Andreasen Lifetime Achievement Award in Dental Traumatology.

Dr. Emad Basssali (Endodontics)
Dr. Bassali graduated from Alexandria University, Egypt with a Bachelor of Dental Medicine and Surgery in 1980. He received his certificate in Prosthodontics from Alexandria University in 1985. Subsequently, he obtained a DDS degree from the University of Southern California in 1994. In the same year, he was also elected for membership in the Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Honorary Dental Society. Dr. Bassali received his postgraduate certificate in Endodontics from Tufts University in Boston in 1997. He has served an assistant clinical professor of endodontics at the University of Southern California since 1999, mentoring DDS and advanced endodontics students. Dr. Bassali has maintained a private practice limited to endodontics in Sherman Oaks, CA, since 2001. His is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, American Association of Endodontists, Southern California Academy of Endodontists and the San Fernando Valley Dental Society.

Dr. Patrick Bogaerts (Endodontics)
Dr. Bogaerts graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium and practiced as a general dentist from 1980 to 1989. In 1988, he earned a Certificate in Endodontics from the French Endodontic Society and the University of Paris VII. Following a Mini Residency in the Endodontic Department of the Veterans' Administration Affairs Hospital, Long Beach, California, in 1992, he started the first private practice limited to Endodontics in Belgium. In 1997 and 1998, he received advanced training in Surgical Endodontics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Bogaerts served as Editor-in-chief of the Belgian Dental Journal (1988-1994), Invited Consultant in the post-graduate endodontic clinic of the Catholic University of Louvain (2003-2016), President of the International Federation of Endodontic Associations (IFEA) (2012-2014), and President of the Belgian (French-speaking) Dental Association (2016-2021). Dr. Bogaerts has lectured extensively and provided hands-on courses since 1988. He published in the French, Dutch, German and English literature.

Dr. Elisabetta Cotti (Endodontics)
Dr. Cotti received her DDS from the University of Cagliari in Italy and her specialty and MS certification in Endodontics from the University of Loma Linda, California. She is Full Professor of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics and Chair of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at the University of Cagliari, Italy. Dr. Cotti is currently the Director of the Postgraduate program (Master) in Clinical Endodontics at the University of Cagliari. She teaches in the Advanced Endodontics Program at the University of Bologna, Italy, and holds a position as lecturer in the Department of Endodontics, Loma Linda University, USA. She is the European Regent for the International Federation of Endodontic Associations (IFEA), and active member of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), the Italian Association of Endodontics (SIE), the Italian Academy of Endodontics (AIE), and the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). She is the Past-President of the Italian Society of Dental Traumatology (SIDT). Dr. Cotti authored and co-authored multiple scientific and clinical publications as well as textbook chapters in Endodontics and related fields and holds a practice limited to Endodontics.

Dr. Stephen Davis (Endodontics)
Dr. Davis graduated from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry in 1978. Subsequently, he attended a one-year general practice residency at Sepulveda Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California. Following completion of the residency, he practiced general dentistry for twelve years. In 1991, Dr. Davis began endodontic residency training at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System in California, completing the program in 1993. He served for six years as full-time faculty and Director, Division of Endodontics at the College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina. He then returned to California in 2000 and assumed the position of Chief of the Endodontic Section and Director of the Residency Program in Endodontics at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System, from which he retired in summer of 2018. Dr. Davis serves as reviewer on the editorial boards of the Journal of Endodontics and Dental Traumatology.

Dr. Dan Grauer (Orthodontics)
Dr. Grauer is an Adjunct Professor of Orthodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC. He developed systems where computer-guided customized orthodontic appliances are fabricated based on the face, function and smile. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Orthodontics, and a member of the American Association of Orthodontists Committee on Technology. Dr. Grauer maintains a private practice limited to orthodontics for teens and adults in Santa Monica, California.

Dr. Joseph Katz (Oral Medicine)
Dr. Katz is Professor and Section Head of Oral Medicine at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. He is heavily involved in patient care, teaching and translational research. Dr. Katz was trained at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel, where he received his DMD and Specialty Certificate in Oral Medicine. He then completed a fellowship at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, and at the Eastman Dental Institute in London. Dr. Katz is a member of the American Academy of Oral Medicine, has authored more than 170 peer reviewed publications and has served on editorial boards of various scientific journals.

Dr. Jose-Maria Malfaz (Endodontics)
Dr. Malfaz graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of La Laguna Tenerife, Spain, in 1990. He received his dental degree from the Dental School at University of Granada, Spain. He then earned his PhD degree from the University of Granada in 1994. Dr. Malfaz practiced full time as an Endodontist in Valladolid, Spain, for 10 years, before moving to Los Angeles, California, to complete his specialty certificate in Endodontics from the University of Southern California in 2006. During his specialty program, he was awarded the American Association of Endodontists Resident Award for his work on CBCT and Trauma, in Honolulu, Hawaii 2006. Dr. Malfaz is Past President of the Spanish Association of Endodontists and served as President of the XXIX Annual Meeting of the Spanish Association of Endodontists. He is a Specialist Active Member of the American Association of Endodontists and has published and co-authored several articles in the dental literature in addition to 4 chapter in endodontic textbooks. Dr Malfaz is known as one of the pioneers and experts in the use of CBCT in Endodontics and Dental Traumatology. He teaches at several Postgraduate Endodontics and Continuum Education programs, and has presented over 180 lectures in more than 14 countries. Dr. Malfaz maintains a full-time practice limited to Endodontics and Dental Traumatology in Valladolid, Spain.

Dr. C. John Munce (Endodontics)
Dr. Munce is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and an Assistant Professor of Endodontics at Loma Linda University. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and past President of the California State Association of Endodontists. Dr. Munce received both his graduate endodontic training and his dental degree from Loma Linda University. He is a frequent international lecturer and the primary author of the chapter, Preparation for Endodontic Treatment, in the celebratory 50th anniversary 7th edition of Ingle’s Endodontics. Clinical concepts and techniques originated by Dr. Munce have also been published in a number of other primary endodontic textbooks, notably in the 8th, 9th and 10th editions of Pathways of the Pulp, and he co-authored a chapter on MTA repair of post perforations in Dr. Nadim Baba’s prosthodontics textbook, Contemporary Restoration of Endodontically Treated Teeth. Dr. Munce is also the founder and CEO of a clinical endodontic products company, CJM Engineering, Inc.

Dr. Betsy Newman (Endodontics)
Dr. Newman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. She received her BA/DMD from Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine and her Certificate in Endodontics from Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Upon graduation, Dr. Newman relocated to Los Angeles for dual appointments at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Los Angeles. During this time, Dr. Newman served as Program Director, Postgraduate Endodontics, Acting Co-Chair, Section of Endodontics as well as Director, Endodontic Clinic at UCLA. At the VA, Dr. Newman has maintained a clinical practice and served as Endodontic Director and consultant for the General Practice, Periodontic and Prosthodontic residency programs. The focus of her teaching, lecturing and practice has been on interdisciplinary treatment planning and diagnosis between dental specialties as well as with physicians. Dr. Newman served as President of the Southern California Academy of Endodontics and has lectured frequently on endodontic topics.

Dr. Stephen P. Niemczyk (Endodontics)
Dr. Niemczyk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, receiving his D.M.D. in 1982 and his postgraduate Endodontic certificate in 1984. Since 1995, Dr. Niemczyk has been the Director of Endodontic Microsurgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and was named Assistant Postgraduate Director in 2018. He also serves as a surgical consultant to the Postgraduate Endodontic Program at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, and the U.S. Army Endodontic Residency Program in Fort Gordon, GA. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and maintains a full-time practice limited to Endodontics in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Josanne (Jan) O'Dell (Endodontics)
Dr. O’Dell, DDS, MFS, JD, is an Associate Professor and Chair of Endodontics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Previously, she served as Interim Program Director of the advanced training program in Endodontics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Dentistry. Following a General Practice Residency and several years as a general dentist, she completed her endodontic specialty at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. O’Dell spent the next 20 years as a private practitioner in Southern California while continuing to teach part time at both USC and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She also completed a two-year certificate program in implants, a Masters of Forensic Science and a Juris Doctorate. Dr. O’Dell has served in leadership roles including President of the California State Association of Endodontists, President of the American Board of Endodontics College of Diplomates, and member of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) Practice Affairs Committee. Currently, she serves as a CODA Endodontic review committee member, and past member of the AAE Educational Affairs Committee, an expert witness, and as a reviewer for scientific publications. In California, Dr. O’Dell was active at both the state and local dental associations where she served on the Peer Review Committee and as a Delegate for the California Dental Association.

Dr. Rajiv G. Patel (Endodontics)
Dr. Rajiv Patel graduated from the University of Southern California where he obtained his DDS and Certificate in Endodontics. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and has practiced clinical dentistry for over 20 years. Dr. Patel has published clinical papers and textbook chapters on endodontic topics and is the founding member of several study clubs. He is also a fellow and founding member of the International Academy of Endodontics. Dr. Patel maintains a private practice Endodontic Excellence in Flower Mound and Argyle, suburbs of North Texas. He has a passion for teaching and teaches a hands-on endodontic course Endodontic Success for the General Dentist. Dr. Patel is married and is a proud father of two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, dancing with his daughters, new age music, reading, poetry and entertaining.

Dr. Jose Ignacio Perea (Endodontics)
Dr. Jose Ignacio Perea is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. He graduated in 1993 from the Javeriana College of Dentistry in Bogota, Colombia, where he also completed his first endodontic residency. He received his endodontic specialty certificate from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2014. He has been participating in multiple educational and mentorship activities in endodontics and in continuing education courses and programs. Dr. Perea maintains an active private practice limited to Endodontics in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Juan Pablo Ramirez (Endodontics)
Dr. Ramirez received his Doctor in Dental Surgery degree from the Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador and his Advanced Endodontics training and specialty certificate from the University of Southern California (USC). He has been participating in multiple educational and mentorship activities in endodontics including hands-on instruction and lectures in continuing education courses and programs. Dr. Ramirez maintains an active private practice limited to Endodontics in Round Rock, Texas.

Dr. Mamaly Reshad (Prosthodontics)
Dr. Reshad is a Prosthodontist and the former Section Chair for Fixed Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry at the University of Southern California (USC). He qualified as a dentist in 1993 from Kings College, London University. He completed his Master’s in Conservative Dentistry with Distinction at the Eastman Dental Institute. He obtained his training in Advanced Prosthodontics at USC. Dr. Reshad has published numerous peer-reviewed papers and textbook chapters on various topics related to Prosthodontics, Aesthetics, and Implant Dentistry. He is currently on the editorial board of various journals including the Journal of Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry. He is an honorary clinical teacher at the Eastman Dental Institute, London University.Dr. Reshad maintains a private Prosthodontic office in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Ziv Simon (Periodontics)
Dr. Simon obtained his DMD degree from Tel Aviv University School of Dental Medicine and his certificate in periodontics from the University of Toronto. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Dr. Simon is the Founder of the Beverly Hills Multidisciplinary Dental Study Group and the Dental Hygiene Study Club of Beverly Hills. He publishes and lectures on implant dentistry, esthetics and guided surgery and is a reviewer for the Journal of the California Dental Association. He teaches at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California and conducts hands-on surgical courses nationally and internationally. Dr. Simon maintains a private practice limited to periodontics and dental implants in Beverly Hills, California. He is the creator of SurgicalMaster™, a surgical training program for dentists.

Dr. Jaydeep Talim (Endodontics)
Dr. Talim received his BDS from Nair Hospital, India and MSc in Conservative Dentistry from the world-renowned Eastman Dental Hospital in 1996. He practiced general dentistry for 20 years before completing his Advanced Endodontics Specialty Program at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2015.
He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Advanced Endodontics Program at U.S.C and a passionate teacher and mentor.
Dr. Talim is a co-author of a chapter on “Endodontics in the elderly patient” in the recent 7th edition of Ingle’s Endodontics and has published articles on topics such as Canalis Sinuosus, restoration of endodontically treated teeth, and diabetes and the dental patient.
He maintains a privet practice limited to Endodontics in Orange and Riverside counties, California.

Dr. Anthony Tran (Endodontics)
Dr. Tran graduated from the University of California of San Diego, Revelle College, with dual Bachelor degrees in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology. He earned his dental degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his Endodontic Certificate from the University of Southern California (USC). He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and a member of the American Association of Endodontists, the American Dental Association, and the California Dental Association. Dr. Tran is licensed to provide conscious sedation in California. He has also participated in multiple educational and mentorship activities in endodontics by providing lectures, hands-on instruction and mentorship in continuing education courses and programs. Dr. Tran has maintained an active private practice limited to Endodontics in Fresno, California.

Dr. Borja Zabalegui (Endodontics)
Dr. Zabalegui graduated from the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain. He specialized in endodontics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and received his specialty certificate in 1982. He has served as Professor of pathology and dental therapeutics at the University of the Basque Country and maintains a specialty practice limited to endodontics in Bilbao, Spain. Dr. Zabalegui is the Founder and Director of the Center for Microscopic Endodontics where he was teaching hundreds of oral healthcare professionals since 2004. He has been an active member of the American Association of Endodontists and the Spanish Association of Endodontics for more than 35 years. Dr. Zabalegui received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and service, and has lectured extensively on endodontics and related fields. He contributed as author and co-author to endodontic textbooks in English and in Spanish, including the latest 7th edition of Ingle’s Endodontics.