2022 Forsyth Orthodontic Symposium

Dr. Ravindra Nanda is Professor Emeritus, Former UConn Alumni Endowed Chair and Head of the Department of Craniofacial Sciences and Division of Orthodontics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, U.S.A. He is also an Adjunct Professor at The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Ma, USA.He received his dental and orthodontic training first at Lucknow, India and then from Nymegen, The Netherlands and the University of Connecticut. He also received a Ph.D. from the University of Nymegen. Since 1972 he has been associated with the University of Connecticut in various academic roles including Chair of Orthodontics from 1991 to 2017.

Dr. Nanda has been active in orthodontic research in the area of biomechanics, clinical trials and acceleration of orthodontic treatment. He has authored with his colleagues more than 250 scientific papers. He is Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Orthodontics and he is on the editorial board of ten different national and international orthodontic journals. He is also an associate editor of Journal of Clinical Orthodontics.

In 2022 he was awarded Fellow of World Federation of Orthodontics (WFO). He has given numerous named lectures at national and international societies including Mershon and Angle Heritage Lectures at the American Association of Orthodontics and Sheldon Friel Lecture at  the 2011 EOS Congress. He has been recognized with Honorary memberships and has received various awards from numerous international orthodontic organizations.

Dr.Nanda has authored and co-authored eight text books Retention and Stability (with Dr. Burstone), Biomechanics in Clinical Orthodontics ,Biomechanic and Esthetic Strategies In Clinical Orthodontics, Temporary Anchorage Devices in Orthodontics (with Dr. Uribe), Current Therapy in Orthodontics(with Dr. Kapila),  Esthetics and Biomechanics in Orthodontics, and recently “ Orthodontics, two volumes “ (with Prof. Farronato), and  Atlas of Complex Orthodontics (with Dr. Uribe). He has two new books coming out in 2019, Temporary Anchorage Devices (with Drs. Uribe and Yadav) and Principles and Biomechanics of Aligner Orthodontic Treatment (with Castroflorio, Garino and Ojima).

Donald Huang graduated from Tsinghua University in 2005 with a degree in finance. He has had a very successful career in Lanxin Asia and Warburg Pincus, investing in the healthcare industry. Mr. Huang is also the founding partner of CareCapital, the world’s largest PE fund specializing in dentistry. Mr. Huang has devoted recent years and his resources to philanthropy for promoting global dental health. He is the main architect for developing the multimillion-dollar CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) programs at CareCapital.

Dr. Marc Lemchen is a board-certified orthodontist in New York City. He completed his DMD degree at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and his certificate in Orthodontics at Columbia University School of Dental Medicine. Following dental school he served in the United States Air Force, stationed in Japan. He has an active practice in New York with his son Andrew and partner Dr. Jennifer Salzer.

Dr. Lemchen is affiliated with a number of New York’s leading hospitals including Lenox Hill Hospital and New York Presbyterian-Weil Cornell where he is a Senior Attending Orthodontist. He holds a teaching appointment at Tufts in the orthodontic department.
In addition to being active at both Columbia and Tufts, he is a Fellow of the American College of Dentistry. He serves as the Chairman of the Tufts University School of Dentistry Board of Advisors.
Always having a keen interest in technology, Dr. Lemchen is the Technology Editor of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. He holds a number of patents relating to items as diverse as three-dimensional imaging, practice management, digital imaging, managing digital workflow, and a safety device used on thousands of boats.

Dr. Lemchen has founded several orthodontic technology companies including Dolphin Imaging and Management, EasyRx, CadFlow and, most recently, Zeeno Robotics.

Dr. Lieberthal serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Henry Schein, Inc., reporting to Chris Pendergast, Henry Schein’s Global Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he is at the nexus of evaluating hundreds of cutting-edge solutions and technologies, advising the many medical and dental business units of Henry Schein on important emerging trends, and helping connect the company’s global sales, marketing and distribution capabilities with important new products that help its customers run better practices and deliver excellent patient care. Previously, from 2009 until 2015, he was the Vice President, Emerging Technologies for Henry Schein, Inc., reporting to the president of Henry Schein’s Global Practice Solutions Group.

Prior to investing, she was Vice President of Business Development at AG Mednet, a healthcare technology company enabling electronic transport of diagnostic images in clinical care and in clinical trials. Earlier in her career, Elizabeth worked as an Associate for the Boston Consulting Group. 

She earned an M.B.A. with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has since taught a course in Healthcare Finance, and a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia, where she graduated with honors. Elizabeth lives in Boston, MA with her husband, two boys and a goldendoodle.

Dai Feng is the co-founder and managing director of CareCapital Advisors Limited, a healthcare focused VC and growth investor managing a multi-billion portfolio of more than 50 healthcare technology and service companies, with a strong focus on dentistry.

CareCapital invests hundreds of millions annually in professional, training-driven healthcare businesses. Dentistry is a core focus and includes preventive, restorative, orthodontics, and implant dentistry. Geographic scope is worldwide, encompassing orthodontics from China, Germany, and US; implant dentistry out Sweden; bone regeneration from South Korea; and imaging technology out of France, among others. Software is also a critical part of delivering great products and clinical services. Clinical formats are broad, from multi-specialty hospitals with hundreds of chairs serving urban communities, to digitally enabled clinics extending rural access.

CareCapital’s mission is to commercialize innovative technologies and expand healthcare access by strengthening the heritage and community of dentistry.

Prior to co-founding CareCapital, Dai Feng was a partner at Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm, and an associate at Goldman Sachs. Dai Feng graduated in engineering sciences from Harvard College in 1997.

Dr. Ben Wu is Professor and Chair of the UCLA Division of Regenerative and Reconstructive Sciences which integrates Advanced Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Orthodontics, Periodontics, Maxillofacial Prosthetics, and Special Patient Care.  He is Director of the Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology at the UCLA School of Dentistry, and his research focuses on biomaterials and advanced biomanufacturing.  He is former chairman of the Department of Bioengineering at the School of Engineering, and holds formal academic appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in School of Medicine.  Dr. Wu provides multidisciplinary patient care in the UCLA Faculty Group Dental Practice, where he focuses on complex oral rehabilitation using implant, fixed, and removable prosthodontics. He is a fellow of the Academy of Prosthodontics.

Dr. Sath Allareddy serves as Professor, Brodie Craniofacial Endowed Chair, and Head of Department of Orthodontics at University of Illinois Chicago. His area of clinical expertise is Cleft Lip/Palate and Craniofacial Orthodontics and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Allareddy serves as the Director of the Specialty Node of National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (a project funded by NIH/NIDCR) and is a member of the Rapid Assessment of Evidence Panel and Planning and Awards Review Committee of the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation. His research interests include: Big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and practice-based research. A proponent of TEAM science, he has been successful in fostering research collaborations between multiple Universities and has published over 225 research articles in peer reviewed journals, presented over 250 posters at regional/national/international scientific meetings, and collaborated with over 300 researchers affiliated to more than 25 different Universities.

Padhraig Fleming is Professor and Chair of Orthodontics at Trinity College Dublin. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous research awards including the Turpin Award from the AAO in 2021 and both the Chapman Prize from the British Orthodontic Society and the B.F. and Helen E. Dewel Award from the AAO on two occasions. He is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, British Dental Journal, Journal of Dentistry and Progress in Orthodontics and is on the editorial board of numerous other journals. He has co-authored three successful orthodontic textbooks: ‘Clinical Cases in Orthodontics’, ‘Functional Appliances: Theory and Practice’, ‘Fixed Orthodontic Appliances: A practical guide’ and Graber’s ‘Orthodontic: Current Principles and Techniques’, 7th Edition.

Dr Wadhwa is currently the Chair of the Section of Growth and Development at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine,  He received his Clinical certificate in Orthodontics and PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2002.His PhD thesis won the AAO Milo Hellman Award.  He is active  in clinical and basic science research and in orthodontic patient care.  He has been funded by the NIDCR, NIH for R01 awards and training grant awards.

Dr. Ko has been associated with academic bioengineering and clinical orthodontics in various capacities over the last 30 years. He is presently the Professor and Vig/William Endowed Chair of the Division of Orthodontics, Ohio State University College of Dentistry in Columbus, OH. 

He received his dental training first in Taiwan, and then PhD in Bioengineering at University of Michigan and then Orthodontic Specialty from University of Minnesota. He was an Assistant Professor of Oral Biology at Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomechanics and Biomaterials at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis US, from 1994 to 2006, and Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) from 2006 to 2020. Before leaving UNC, he served as Program Director (2013-2019) and Chairman (2017-2020) at UNC. Many of his students received awards from American Association of Orthodontists Foundation under his direct mentorship.

Dr. Ko has contributed more than 160 publications to the scientific literature in biomaterial/biomechanical sciences, orthodontics, and bone biology. He has co-authored more than 10 book chapters and recently co-edited the book entitled “Machine Learning in Dentistry”.  His research in bone tissue engineering and orthodontic bioengineering was funded by NIH. He maintains a faculty clinical practice at OSU.

Professor Ting graduated Magna Cum Laude with a D.M.D. Degree and a D.Med.Sc from Harvard University. Professor Ting was formerly the Academic Senate Professor and founding chair in the Division of Growth and Development at UCLA with joint professorship at the School of Medicine and School of Engineering.  Professor Ting currently is an adjunct professor at the Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.  He holds multiple joint appointments at internationally known Institutes and universities such as and Peking University, Zhejiang University in China.  

Professor Ting is an expert in translational and tissue engineering research. Professor Ting’s original research has received well over 6,000 citations. It has been published in many leading journals (over 146 peer-reviewed journals), including Nature Communications, Journal of Clinical Investigation, PLOS One, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, and Biomaterials, etc.  Professor Ting holds inventorship on over 78 applied for and issued patent applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office.  Professor Ting has received over US 25M NIH and other US government funding as PI or senior investigator. 

In 2018, Professor Ting and his team received the International Space Station (ISS) Innovation Award For Biology and Medicine for Development of NELL-1 Bone-Growth Systemic Therapy by the American Astronautical Society (https://www.iss-casis.org/blog/iss-rd-award-for-innovation-in-biology-and-medicine/). 

Dr. Tingxi Wu, DDS, PhD is currently a faculty member at the Forsyth Institute, serving as the Director of Orthodontic and Craniofacial Development Research. Prior to this position, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Department of Oral Biology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Wu obtained her DDS degree from West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University.  Following her DDS training, she acquired her PhD degree and orthodontic specialty training at University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Wu’s clinical expertise includes craniofacial growth-modification, multidisciplinary craniofacial deformity treatment, management of complications in orthodontic treatment. Dr. Wu is also actively involved in translational and clinic studies, including development of preventive and therapeutic tools against craniofacial deformity and orthodontic-related oral infectious diseases.  The novel technologies developed by Dr. Wu were licensed by several dental companies. In addition, Dr. Wu’s basic research has been focused on using multidisciplinary approaches to study oral microbial pathogenesis with a specific focus on microbial biofilm, inter-species interaction and signal transduction. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented her research at national and international conferences. Dr. Wu has received awards and funding from American Association of Orthodontists, American Association of Orthodontists Foundation, and National Institutes of Health.

SmileSonica Inc., an Edmonton, AB, Canada, medical device company focused on non-invasive therapeutic dental and medical technologies.

With SmileSonica’s Founder/CEO Cristian Scurtescu, built SmileSonica with the vision to be the world leader in innovative Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) dental and medical solutions. Their LIPUS platform led to their first application in orthodontics and the launch of the Aevo System™ – the world’s most advance LIPUS system that facilitates faster tooth movement, decreases orthodontically induced tooth root resorption, and shortens overall orthodontic treatment duration. The pipeline includes periodontic, dry month, and implant solutions. For details visit www.aevosystem.com.

Darryl’s 25+ years of experience includes creating and building innovative technology-based entities in both the medical and dental sectors – 10+ years as founding CEO of pharmaceutical start-up Sinoveda Inc.,15 years of dental practice operations, and a Senior Management Consultant for Meyers Norris Penny’s Health and Dental consulting practice. On his journey Darryl built 6 start-ups (4 exits, 2 ongoing) and launched 100s of products. Some of his community engagements are Board Member BioAlberta, and Instructor University of Alberta School of Business MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program.

Dr. Ki Beom Kim is a Professor, Dr. Lysle Johnston Endowed Chair in Orthodontics, and the Program Director in the Orthodontic Department, Center for Advanced Dental Education at Saint Louis University. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. He received his dental training in South Korea, finished three years of Oral Medicine training, received his Ph.D. in Orofacial Pain, and completed his orthodontic training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He has presented many times at international and national meetings as well as published close to 100 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters. Additionally, he has participated in over 120 master thesis projects over the years. He had three textbooks written.

Dr. Mehdi Peikar, DDS, PhD, is the inventor and founder of BRIUS Technologies Inc. He is a practicing orthodontist who graduated from the UCLA School of Dentistry and also holds a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree in Quantum Mechanics and Condensed Matter from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Using his background in biophysics, he invented Independent Movers which is the third way of moving teeth that is not braces and is not aligners. 

Dr. John Pham is a 3x entrepreneur, engineer, and ABO certified orthodontist. With his unique background, Dr. Pham strives to find ways to close the gap between research and industry. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Pham and his research team have worked to translate their 30+ peer-reviewed publications in the field of Finite Element Analysis, CAD/CAM manufacturing, and 3D Superimposition into applications that make impact at the chairside. Dr. Pham currently serves as Co-Founder, Board Director and Chief Medical Officer of InBrace, raising over $225M in venture capital funding to commercialize a new category of teeth straightening called Programmed Non-Sliding Mechanics. Dr. Pham continues his research at USC collaborating with the Viterbi School of Engineering, Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Stevens Center for Innovation.

Dr. Alfred C. Griffin III, DMD, PhD, MMSc is the Cofounder and CEO of LightForce Orthodontics, a digital platform providing orthodontists with fully customized, 3D printed tooth-moving tools.

Dr. Griffin along with Dr. Lou Shuman, DMD founded LightForce Orthodontics in 2015 with the mission to revolutionize the specialty through advanced manufacturing and technology. After four years of extensive research and development, LightForce launched their first product to the Orthodontic market- the world’s first, and only, fully customized 3D printed bracket system and digital treatment software. Learn more at www.lightforceortho.com.

Dr. Griffin received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Virginia and completed his DMD and PhD in Craniofacial Biology at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2014. He earned his Masters of Medical Research and Certificate in Orthodontics from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 2017. In addition to leading LightForce, Dr. Griffin practices in the Boston area and serves on faculty as a Lecturer in the Department of Developmental Biology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

34 years ago, after received BS from University of Science and Technology of China, Charlie joined Caltech graduate program, focusing on AI research; he then joined 3D computer graphics and animation software companies Dassault and MSC for 6 years.  Charlie then worked for Hollywood to create computer visual effects for Oscar nominated movies, creating the ugly Godzilla smile and cute Stuart Little ones. Charlie was recruited as first CTO of Invisalign after the company inception, built technology to a successful IPO.

Charlie is currently the cofounder and president of uLabSystems, using AI to enable doctors to design treatment solutions quickly. Beside uLab, Charlie has cofounded several companies in multiple markets including: OrthoClear, an orthodontic company exit of $20M selling; FourPosition, advanced indoor GPS device; Karegiver, an AI based senior assistant system, licensed IPs to Phillips Medical.

Philippe Salah graduated from the prestigious École Polytechnique in Paris, France, with a PhD in Biophysics. He fell in love with orthodontics after partnering with an orthodontist to build Harmony, a company that made custom lingual treatments with a fully digital workflow. By 2014, Philippe had already realized that Artificial Intelligence was the next frontier in medical care, and so he brought together a team of engineers and orthodontists and created Dental Monitoring, the world’s first AI-based system for treatment monitoring, practice management, and patient communication.

Dr. Kravitz is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, member of the Edward Angle Society, Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, and Associate Editor for the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Dr. Kravitz is a graduate of Columbia University and received his D.M.D. and the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a prolific writer for numerous journals. Dr. Kravitz lectures throughout the country and internationally on treatment planning, biomechanics, practice management, and ethics.

Dr. Peter Ngan is West Virginia University Branson-Maddrell Endowed Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthodontics, West Virginia University, School of Dentistry. Dr. Ngan is also an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong and a Guest Professor at the Wuhan University School of Stomatology.  Dr. Ngan holds a dental degree from Harvard University, School of Dental Medicine and Certificates in Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry and Hospital Dentistry from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine/ Children Hospital of Philadelphia.  He is a member of the Angle East (Eastern Component of the Edward H. Angle Society).  He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.  He was inducted as Fellow of the American College of Dentists (October, 2008), Fellow of the International College of Dentists (October 2010) and Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy (May 2011).

He was appointed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the ADA to serve the commission as an Orthodontic Consultant.  He has served as a consultant to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.  He is a member of the Advisory Board for the World Implant Orthodontic Congress, member of the International Advisory and Editorial Board for the Orthodontic Waves (Official Journal of the Japanese Orthodontic Society), Associate Editor for the Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society Trend in Orthodontics journal, and member of the Seminars in Orthodontics Editorial Board.  Dr. Ngan serves as a referee for the American Dental Association journal, American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, European Journal of Orthodontics, Angle Orthodontist, Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research Journal, Orthodontics: Art and Practice of Dentofacial Enhancement, Korean Journal of Orthodontics, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of Dental Education, Pediatric Dentistry, Journal of Pain, Hong Kong Dental Journal, International Journal of Oral Sciences, and the Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics.

Dr. Ngan has published over 160 original research and clinical papers in refereed journals and 170 abstracts, including contributions in several monographs and textbooks.  He has been invited to lecture at numerous professional organizations in 40 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, Chile, Italy, Poland, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Netherland, Mexico, Brazil, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Israel, Jordan, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Peru, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea.

Dr. Ngan’s focus is in the early treatment of dental and skeletal malocclusions.  Dr. Ngan’s research interest includes growth and development, biology of tooth movement, dentofacial orthopedics, orthodontic appliance therapy, oral implantology, orthodontic bonding systems and adult interdisciplinary treatment.

Among his honors, he was nominated Distinguished University Faculty by the Ohio State University and West Virginia University.  He was inducted as Fellow of the American College of Dentists, Fellow of the International College of Dentists and Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy.  He was the recipient of the Student Development Award by the American Association for Dental Research, Student Research Development Award by the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and the Award of Commendation by the West Virginia University School of Dentistry Alumni Association.  He was the Scientific Co-Chair for the 2004 annual AAO session in Orlando, Florida, Scientific Chair for the 2013 CDABO annual session in Bermuda and General Chair for the World Implant Orthodontic Congress in Anaheim, California 2014.  He was invited to deliver the PR Begg Memorial Lecture during the 20th Australian Orthodontic Congress in 2006, the Jacob A. Salzmann Memorial lecture during the 2007 annual session of the AAO, the A B Shetty Memorial Oration at the 45th Indian Orthodontic Congress in 2010, the Paul Geoffrion Conference for the Quebec Association of Orthodontists in 2012, the Margolis Lecture at the Tuft University in 2013, the Charles Burstone Seminar Series at the University of Connecticut in 2014, the Arthur Thorton Taylor Lecture during the 25th Australian Orthodontic Congress in 2016, and serve as the Keith Godfrey Visiting Professor by the University of Sydney, Department of Orthodontics.

He maintains an intramural faculty practice in the WVU School of Dentistry. He has served as the President of the OKU Honor Society, President of the Monongahela Valley Dental Society and President of the West Virginia Section of the American Association for Dental Research.  He is a member of the Angle East (Eastern Component of the Edward H. Angle Society), a member of the International Association for Dental Research, American Dental Association, American Association of Orthodontists, European Orthodontic Society, Orthodontics: The Art and Practice of Dentofacial Enhancement, American Association of Dental Schools, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Society of Dentistry for Children, American Association for Dental Research and American Cleft Palate -Craniofacial Association.

Dr. Uribe received his Master‘s degree and Certificate in Orthodontics from the University of Connecticut after receiving his DDS degree from the CES University in Medellin, Colombia. He also completed a 3- year residency and fellowship program at the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Uribe is a Full-time Associate Professor, Program Director, and Chair of the Division of Orthodontics at UConn Health. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and member of the Edward H Angle Society of Orthodontists.  He was a member of the Council of Scientific Affairs for the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and is part of the committee implementing practice-based research networks for the AAO. Dr. Uribe is a section editor of the Book Temporary Anchorage Devices in Orthodontics, co-editor of the book Atlas of Complex Orthodontics and of the new edition of Temporary Anchorage Devices in Orthodontics.  Dr. Uribe has authored and coauthored numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is a past recipient of the Biomedical Research Award from the AAO Foundation in 2012 and 2019.  Dr. Uribe holds the Ravi Nanda Endowed Chair at the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Won Moon is the Founder/CEO of the Moon Principles Institute (“the MoonLab”) and a Co founder/Chief Innovations Officer of BioTech Innovations. He served as the Thomas R. Bales  Endowed Chair in Orthodontics for the orthodontic residency program at UCLA School of Dentistry  (2013-2020), and he currently holds two academic positions: Full-Professorship at Ajou University  School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professorship at the Forsyth Institute. He has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics since 2002. He completed his dental education at Harvard and  orthodontic education at UCLA. He studied mathematics prior to dentistry, and his research topics  include 3D image analysis utilizing surface mapping functions and Elliptical Fourier’s Descriptors,  Genomewide Association Study of Craniofacial Phenotypes, Finite Element Model (FEM)  Development and Simulation, Applications of 3D Printing in Orthodontics, Orthopedic Correction,  Airway Changes with Orthopedic Corrections, Accelerated Tooth Movement, Micro-implant (MI)  Design study, Digital Workflow, and Aligner System Development. His work has been published in  various journals, not necessarily limited to orthodontics because of his physical science background,  and he is a co-author of six textbooks. He has presented these findings in 42 countries, totaling over  500 presentations. He received multiple research grants during his tenure at UCLA, including the  Groundbreaking Research Project Grant Award in 2014. Besides the numerous research and  presentation awards over the years, he has received the “Faculty of the Year Award” multiple times at UCLA Orthodontic Program, and he was the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement and Faculty  Dedication/Excellence Award” in 2019. His current focus has been establishing protocols for  orthopedic corrections with MI, improving the airway for patients with nasal obstruction, creating  virtual patients utilizing image analysis and FEM, and developing a novel Moon Aligner System. 

His interest in aligner systems began in 2010 as the aligner systems became popular, but they had  countless shortcomings and could not achieve optimal orthodontic results. He has won the Center  Award Grant from the American Association of Orthodontic Foundation (AAOF) in 2018 as a Co-PI of  the research project, “Standard Characterization of Clear Orthodontic Aligner”, and the goal of the  project was to develop protocols that can be used to evaluate the mechanical properties of clear  aligners. He was also invited as a keynote speaker for the Congress of the Spanish Society of Aligners (SEDA) and National Congress of Italian Aligner Society (SIALIGN) in 2021. He is currently involved  in multiple aligner research projects in collaboration with national and international colleagues. He  holds multiple patents, three of which are aligner related, and more patents are on the way.  

His interest in mid-facial expansion began in 2004 as micro-implant became available in the USA, and  he is responsible for developing Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE), a unique micro-implant assisted  rapid palatal expander (MARPE). He has been active in advocating non-surgical skeletal expansion in  both children and adult patients, especially for those who may suffer from airway restrictions. His  presentation in MSE has been widely accepted internationally, and numerous peer-reviewed  publications are available.

After graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry Dr. Keles started the orthodontic residency and doctorate degree program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine with the full scholarship awarded by the Turkish Ministry of Education. In 1994 he completed the doctorate degree and residency in orthodontics and his thesis project received “Thomas W. Graber Award of Special Merit” given by American Association of Orthodontists and also awarded “Coenraad Morrees Research Award” given by Harvard Society for the Advancement of Orthodontics. After completing his post graduate studies he taught orthodontics at Marmara University, Istanbul Turkey and afterwards at University of Connecticut. Currently Professor Keles is seeing patients in his private ortho practice in Istanbul, and teaching part time at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Orthodontics Program. Presently he is the International Vice President of the Harvard Orthodontics Alumni. He has 3 patents and orthodontic inventions “Keles Keyless Expander”, “Keles Slider” and “Keles Face Mask”. His son Eren Keles is the co-inventor of Keles Keyless Expander. He is traveling widely to give courses and seminars in orthodontics around the world. He has authored more than 50 scientific publications and many orthodontic textbook chapters. He was the abstract and reviews editor of the World Journal of Orthodontics.