Dr. Jon Goldberg and Dr. Joseph Piecuch—two longtime faculty at the School of Dental Medicine—retired this summer with the title Professor Emeritus, unanimously approved by the UConn Health Board of Trustees.

Both professors, with over four decades of employment with UConn, have contributed immensely to curriculum enrichment, clinical practice, and research at the School of Dental Medicine.

“It’s been a great run at the School of Dental Medicine and UConn,” said Goldberg. “While I’ve seen many changes over the last 44 years, the one constant for me has been the collaborators, colleagues and administration providing an environment that supports excellence in research and teaching.”

Goldberg served on the UConn School of Dental Medicine faculty for 44 years, completing his tenure in the department of biomedical engineering. Prior to biomedical engineering, Goldberg held his primary academic appointment in the department of reconstructive sciences where he successfully integrated basic materials science with clinical teaching and research.

Goldberg’s research interests focused on the development of new dental materials, studies of structure-property relationships and biomaterial-cell interactions. His work on new materials involved titanium alloys for orthodontic application, fiber reinforced composites for various dental clinical applications and bio catalyzed mineralization. Much of this work by Goldberg was NIH funded and successfully translated to clinical practice.

While he still hopes to stay in touch with UConn, Goldberg is looking forward to the extra time to spend with loved ones.

“I hope to continue contributing, although to a lesser degree, as I look forward to spending more time with family and friends,” said Goldberg.

Piecuch joined the full-time faculty at UConn in 1978. Primarily a surgeon, his research interests included artificial bone substitutes and reconstructive orthognathic surgery. He was awarded academic tenure in 1984.

From 1985 to 2008, Piecuch maintained a relationship with UConn as a volunteer faculty, based at Hartford Hospital. Piecuch was the educational coordinator for the oral and maxillofacial residency program at the Hartford site, and became a clinical professor in 1996.

In 2009, Piecuch returned to a paid faculty position at UConn and became an integral member of the oral and maxillofacial surgery teaching faculty—active in both the predoctoral and postgraduate education programs.

“It is with some regret that I chose to leave the active faculty at this time,” said Piecuch. “Over these past ten and a half years I have truly enjoyed working with the oral and maxillofacial residents and the dental students, and with my fellow faculty.”

At UConn, Piecuch developed a new comprehensive program in teaching the management of medical emergencies in the dental office to dental students.  The course incorporated the new technology of high fidelity patient simulation into the curriculum.

Piecuch, abiding by his own rules, also hopes to remain involved at UConn.

“I have long firmly believed that there should be an age-related end date for clinical surgical practice, and, by my definition, I have now reached it,” said Piecuch. “In the future I hope to remain involved in didactic teaching activities to whatever extent possible.”