Program

Dr. Acela Martinez is and Associate Professor and Division Director of Clinical Implantology at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine and also maintains a private practice in Greenville, NC. She earned her DMD with honors from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí and completed a certificate in Restorative Dentistry in Mexico. She later obtained a Certificate and Master of Science in Periodontology, followed by a Fellowship in Advanced Implant Dentistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Martinez is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI). She is also an active member of the Women Implantology Network (WIN), serving on the steering committee for the North America section.

Dr. Edmond Bedrossian graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1981. He completed his training in 1986 at the University of The Pacific, School of Dentistry and completed a four-year Oral & Maxillofacial Residency training program at the Alameda Medical Center. In addition to private practice, Dr. Bedrossian is recognized as an expert in the field of dental implants and has given numerous presentations on the subject both nationally and internationally between 2004 and the present. He has also led several long-running study clubs related to this topic. In addition, he has lectured internationally with Professor Brånemark on various topics, especially the rehabilitation of patients with maxillofacial defects.

Dr. med. dent. Manrique Fonseca, MAS is Program Director of the Postgraduate Program in Reconstructive Dentistry and Gerodontology at the University of Bern. He holds advanced degrees in prosthodontics and implantology from institutions in Costa Rica, Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S. His clinical and research focus includes esthetic rehabilitation, digital dentistry, and implant-supported prostheses. Dr. Fonseca has authored numerous scientific publications and received several international awards. He is an ITI Fellow and active member of the SSRD, IADR, and EAO.

Lorenzo Tavelli, DDS, MS, PhD is a full-time assistant professor and the director of the Postgraduate program in Periodontology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Tavelli graduated from the University of Milan and then completed his three-year residency in Periodontics and Master of Science at the University of Michigan. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.
Dr. Tavelli’s main focus in clinical research and daily practice is microsurgical and minimally invasive soft tissue grafting procedures around teeth and dental implants, where he has been pioneering in the combined use of High Frequency Doppler Ultrasonography and wound healing biomarkers for assessing graft perfusion and the surgical outcomes. Dr. Tavelli has been extensively lecturing worldwide on these topics at the main scientific symposia. He has published more than 100 scholarly publications in the main international peer-reviewed journals while serving as an Associate Editor for Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research and for Journal of Periodontal Research.
He was the recipients of several research awards, such as the 2023 American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Earl Robinson Regeneration Award, the 2022 AAP Foundation Nevins Clinical Research Fellowship, the 2021 Goldman Clinical Research award from the Italian Society of Periodontology, and the 2020 AAP Balint Orban Research Award, among others.

Harvard School of Dental University

Boston, USA

Dr. Maria Elisa Galarraga-Vinueza, DDS, MSc, PhD, is a faculty member in the Periodontology Program at Harvard School of Dental University. Previously, she served as an assistant professor in the Department of Implant Dentistry at Tufts University, Boston (2022-2024). She completed her residency and master’s program at the University Federal Santa Catarina, Brazil, and was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Biomaterials, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Germany. Dr. Galarraga is an international speaker and has earned international awards, including the Osteology Foundation Scholarship in 2019. As part of her PhD research, she conducted clinical studies in the Oral Surgery Department at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research primarily focuses on peri-implant diseases treatment, with over peer-reviewed 40 publications and 5 book chapters on the subject.

Dr. Galarraga was appointed as the lead researcher on risk indicators and factors for peri-implant diseases for the 2024 Consensus Conference on Peri-implant biological complications, a joint initiative of the American Academy of Periodontology and the Academy of Osseointegration. She serves on the Research Committee of the Iberoamerican Federation of Periodontology, is a member of the Expert Council of the Osteology Foundation. Additionally, she is an Ad hoc Reviewer for leading journals such as the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Clinical Oral Investigations, and Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research

Dr. Konstantinos Chochlidakis received his dental degree from University of Athens, Greece in 2008 and completed his prosthodontic residency at Eastman Institute for Oral (EIOH) in 2013. He then joined Kornberg School of Dentistry, Temple University, as a full-time Assistant Professor and Co-Director of Clinical Fixed Prosthodontics. Dr. Chochlidakis is currently an Associate Professor and the Program Director of the Prosthodontic Postgraduate Training Program at EIOH. Dr Chochlidakis received his Master of Clinical and Translational Science certificate in May 2019. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontists, Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists, Associate Fellow of the Academy of Prosthodontics, Fellow of the International Team for Implantology and holds several memberships in other dental organizations. He was the vice-Chair of the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) 2019 annual meeting and the scientific Program Chair of the American Prosthodontic Society (APS) in the 2022 annual meeting. Dr Chochlidakis has also been appointed as the Director of the Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry starting January 2023. He is focused on clinical research conducting clinical trials on full-arch implant prostheses, digital dental technology, and dental ceramic materials. He has lectured nationally and internationally on several topics related to clinical prosthodontics and implant dentistry.

Dr. Tsigarida was born and raised in Greece, where she completed her dental education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, earning her Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) in 2008. After finishing her training, she moved to the United Kingdom to gain experience as a general dentist. A year later, she advanced her career by enrolling in the Periodontology program at The Ohio State University, where she was appointed Chief Resident. In 2013, she obtained both a Certificate in Periodontics and a Master of Science degree.

Throughout her training and professional journey, Dr. Tsigarida has been dedicated to advancing the field of dentistry, particularly through her research on the microbiology of peri-implantitis. Her findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she has received multiple accolades at international research conferences. Dr. Tsigarida is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and actively participates in various national dental organizations, including the American Academy of Periodontology, the Academy of Osseointegration, the International Team for Implantology (ITI), and the International Association for Dental Research. She currently serves as a Board Trustee for the American Academy of Periodontology in its 7th District.

From 2013 to 2015, Dr. Tsigarida served as an Assistant Professor at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University. From 2019 to 2025, she has held the position of Program Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontology at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, where she currently serves as Chair. In addition to her administrative and teaching responsibilities, she maintains a faculty practice that focuses on Periodontics and Dental Implants.

Dr. Waldemar D. Polido is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, with a MS and PhD from the PUCRS School of Dentistry in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Member of the AAOMS, IAOMS, AO-CMF, Academy of Osseointegration, and certified by the International Board for Certification of Specialists in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, he also contributes as an author and reviewer for the main journals in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Implant Dentistry.

Dr. Polido is an engaged ITI Fellow, and has contributed as an author and co-author to the ITI Online Academy, Treatment Guides, Consensus Conferences and Forum Implantologicum, as well as lectured in several ITI national and international events, including the last three ITI World Symposium. Dr. Polido co-authored the recently launched book SAC 2nd Edition – Risk Assessment in Implant Dentistry. His main professional interests are in advanced and complex implant surgeries, orthognathic surgery and digital technology.

He is currently a Clinical Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Co-Director of the Center for Implant, Esthetic and Innovative Dentistry, at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, in Indianapolis, USA.

Dr. Wei-Shao Lin, DDS is an Associate Professor and the Co-Chair of ITI Scholarship Center at the Department of Prosthodontics at Indiana University School of Dentistry. He teaches fixed, removable, and implant prosthodontics at the predoctoral and graduate prosthodontics levels. Dr. Lin’s research interests include clinical dental implant research, ceramic restorations and digital dentistry, and has published many research and clinical articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Lin is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI), and Fellow at The American College of Prosthodontists (FACP).Dr. Lin serves on several editorial boards and are reviewers for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants, and Clinical Oral Implants Research. He maintains an intramural dental implant and prosthodontics practice at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.

Dr. Alex Gillone is an Associate Professor and Division Director of Periodontology at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine. He also maintains a private practice in Greenville, NC. Dr. Gillone earned his DDS with honors from the University of Cagliari and completed a Master’s in Clinical Endodontics in Italy. He later received a Certificate and Master of Science in Periodontology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI).

Dr. Panos Papaspyridakos serves as Professor of Postgraduate Prosthodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and as Adjunct Professor at the University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health. Additionally, he maintains a full-time private practice limited to Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry in Boston.
Dr. Papaspyridakos has authored more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and he lectures extensively in national and international dental meetings, while he serves as reviewer for several dental journals. His innovative clinical implant research is widely cited and has received international acclaim with educational awards, including the 2022 American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) 1st Prize Award for Best Clinical Article of the year. He is a fellow of the International Team of Implantology (ITI) and the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics (GNYAP).