21 June 2023

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Dr. Anthony Cuomo named president of New York State Dental Association

NYSDA officers, trustees also installed

Tommaso Albonetti

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The New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) has sworn in Dr. Anthony Cuomo, DDS, as the 143rd president of the organization. His new position was effective as of June 1, according to a news release.

Previously, Cuomo served on NYSDA’s governmental affairs committee as a liaison to the association’s board of trustees as well as chairperson on the strategic planning committee.

An accomplished oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in New York and Connecticut, he has also held leadership roles in dentistry at the community level. Cuomo was elected president of the Putnam County Dental Society and Greater Danbury Dental Society and continues to actively contribute to both organizations.

In the news release, he said that he is eager to work together with all members to advance the dental profession in New York.

Upon taking office, Cuomo said that his top three priorities are advocacy, membership growth and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within the profession.

“Expanding our membership will not only broaden our reach, but also enhance the diversity of our association, fostering a more inclusive and supportive community,” he said.

Cuomo also served on Danbury Hospital’s executive board and is a chairman of the hospital’s dental department where he is section chief for its oral and maxillofacial department. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

“Looking ahead, I believe that we are on the threshold of a new era of growth and innovation in dentistry,” he said. “We have the opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient and more patient-centered profession that is better equipped to meet the evolving needs of our patients and our communities.”

On the national level, in addition to being an American Dental Association delegate and alternate delegate for more than a decade, Cuomo has served as chairman of the ADA’s committee on credentials, rules and order.

He is a graduate of Fordham University and New York University’s College of Dentistry. He did his postdoctoral training in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.

New and returning NYSDA officers and trustees were also installed during proceedings of the House of Delegates:

Dr. Prabha Krishnan, president-elect

Dr. Prabha Krishnan works full-time at her private practice, focusing on periodontics and implant surgery and is an attending and chief of periodontics at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. She is also the current Chair of the Council on Communications of the American Dental Association and serves as a member of the Indian Dental Association Board of Trustees.

Krishnan received her DDS from New York University College of Dentistry in 1991. She continued her postdoctoral training in periodontics at New York University College of Dentistry, which she completed in 1993.

Dr. Maurice Edwards, vice president

Dr. Maurice Edwards runs his private practice and is very active in the American Dental Association, American Association of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), New York State Association of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons (NYSSOMS) and the New York Society of Forensic Dentistry.

The day after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Edwards worked alongside thousands of volunteers at ground zero searching for the remains of the victims. In the months that followed, he worked with the dental identification unit at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, helping to identify about 60 percent of all remains recovered.

Edwards received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Upon graduating, he completed a four-year residency program in oral and maxillofacial Surgery at New York University and Bellevue Hospital.

Dr. Paul Leary, secretary treasurer

Dr. Paul Leary is a graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry. He entered the United States Navy in his freshman year of dental school, completed three years of active-duty service upon graduation and remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 14 years. He left active service and entered private practice, where he continues to work 34 years later.

Leary has held many leadership positions in his home base of Suffolk County, as well as within NYSDA and the ADA.  Most notably, he was the immediate-past trustee representing the Second ADA District, NYSDA Trustee representing Suffolk County and a past member of NYSDA’s Board of Governors.

Dr. William Karp, speaker of the house

Dr. William Karp is a general practice dentist and has maintained his private practice in the Syracuse area since 1983. He is also an attending dentist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center where he helps to educate dental residents.

Karp has served in leadership capacities as a delegate at the ADA and as a member of the organization’s council on communications. At NYSDA he has served as governor, trustee and a delegate in the House of Delegates.

Karp went to NYU College of Dentistry and completed his general practice residency at the University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital.

About the New York State Dental Association

The New York State Dental Association, founded in 1868, is one of the largest state constituents of the American Dental Association and represents more than 70 percent of dentists practicing in New York State. Founded in 1859, the American Dental Association is the oldest and largest national dental society in the world and serves as the leading source of oral health-related information for dentists and their patients.