Dean, Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity

Dr. Giannobile is the Dean of Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), and a leader in the field of periodontology and an internationally recognized scholar in oral regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and precision medicine.

Prior to HSDM, he served as the Najjar Endowed Professor and chair of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He was also a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Biointerfaces Institute. He received his DDS and MS in oral biology from the University of Missouri. He later received his certificate in periodontology and Doctor of Medical Sciences in oral biology from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He completed postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Giannobile previously held positions as a faculty member at HSDM as an Assistant Professor of Periodontology and at the Forsyth Institute.  He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Genoa Medical School Biotechnology Institute and the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London.

Dr. Giannobile’s research focuses on oral and periodontal regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and precision medicine. He has maintained a continuously NIH-funded research program over the past 25 years, and serves as co-principal investigator for the NIDCR-supported Michigan-Pittsburgh-Wyss Regenerative Medicine Resource Center. The goal of the center is to translate early stage dental, oral and craniofacial reconstructive technologies into clinical practice. He has produced over 300 manuscripts, textbook chapters, and patents focused on periodontology, regenerative medicine and oral health research. He is the editor or co-editor of nine books focused on clinical, translational research, periodontology and regenerative medicine. He recently completed a ten-year term as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International Association for Dental Research. 

Dr. Giannobile is a recipient of the American Dental Association’s Norton Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Academy of Periodontology. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Dental Research and the International and American Colleges of Dentists. He is a past president of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, and currently serves as the President of the Osteology Foundation.