EIOH Periodontics Chair Dr. Jack Caton Stepping Down
After more than 50 years of visionary and dedicated leadership, Jack G. Caton, DDS, MS, (Perio ’73, MS ‘73) will step down as chair of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health Periodontics Department on December 31.
He will continue serving in his role as associate director for education, the director of the master's program and a faculty member in the department of periodontics.
With an unwavering commitment, Dr. Caton began teaching in 1973 shortly after he graduated from the Eastman Institute for Oral Health Periodontics program and was promoted to program director in 1990.
Widely known for his significant contributions to periodontology and his high educational standards, he has received numerous awards and honors during his impressive career. He served as commissioner for the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and as director and chair of the American Board of Periodontology. He is past president of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and also served as secretary-treasurer and president of the AAP Foundation Board of Directors.
Dr. Caton’s many honors include the William J. Gies Award in Periodontology and the Gold Medal for contributions to Periodontics from the AAP. He earned the American Dental Association’s prestigious Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, which recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions in clinical investigations that have advanced the diagnosis, treatment, and/or prevention of craniofacial-oral-dental diseases, as well as outstanding research endeavors. Dr. Caton has 120 published scientific articles and chapters on periodontal wound healing, animal models, diagnosis, and human clinical trials.
Under Dr. Caton’s leadership, the EIOH master’s program in Dental Science was established in 2016 and has grown quickly to record enrollment.
The Jack Caton Endowed Fellowship was created in 2015 to advance his vision of academic excellence by providing a grant to those committed to scholarly and clinical advancement in periodontology and who are interested in pursuing an academic or administrative position in periodontology.
Dr. Caton has made an unparalleled and indelible impact on the profession, countless residents, faculty and staff, as well as the Institute, the medical center and the university.
A committee will be established to perform a national search for his replacement.
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