This year, the School of Dental Medicine welcomed eight new full-time and part-time faculty in the departments of general dentistry and oral and maxillofacial diagnostic sciences.
“We have had more faculty join our ranks in the past year than in any other year—at least in recent times,” said Dr. Steve Lepowsky, Dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “We are exceptionally fortunate to be able to continue to attract very talented people to our faculty.”
Out of the new fleet of eight faculty, six have previous ties to the UConn School of Dental Medicine as graduates of the School’s predoctoral and residency programs.
Dr. Gerald Birmingham, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Gerald Birmingham received his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from the UConn School of Dental Medicine in 1989. Birmingham also holds a Master of Public Health degree from Southern Connecticut State University, a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and achieved a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry from the Academy of General Dentistry in Chicago. Birmingham has owned his own private practice in Milford, Connecticut for thirty years. In addition to his position as clinical assistant professor, Birmingham is also serving as an assistant director in UConn Health’s Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs.
Dr. Rachel Cohen, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Rachel Cohen is a graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, receiving her DMD in 2016. She completed her residency in 2017 at VA New York Harbor Healthcare Manhattan Campus as a general practice resident. For the past year, Cohen has been serving as a volunteer faculty member in the School of Dental Medicine. Cohen’s previous experience is in private practice in Connecticut and New York.
Dr. Angelica Gargano, Clinical Instructor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Angelica Gargano completed the School of Dental Medicine’s two-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program in 2021. Gargano received her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of Cuenca in Cuenca, Ecuador and worked as a general dentist in Ecuador prior to her residency at UConn.
Dr. Robert Harris, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Robert Harris received his DDS from Howard University College of Dentistry in 1982 and has been in private practice in Bloomfield, CT for over thirty years. Harris also served in the United States Army as a Dental Officer from 1982 to 1985.
Dr. David Manz, Assistant Professor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. David Manz has been a member of the UConn family since receiving his Bachelor of Science from UConn in 2012. Manz received both his DMD/PhD from the School of Dental Medicine in 2021 and completed two years in the AEGD residency program at UConn this summer.
Dr. Michael Santacroce, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Michael Santacroce received his Bachelor of Arts from UConn in 1978, and DMD from the School of Dental Medicine in 1984. Santacroce also holds an MS in Pharmacology from the University of the Pacific and completed his general dentistry residency at San Francisco VA Medical Center—Fort Miley, and University of California San Francisco. He has previously served as a volunteer faculty in the School of Dental Medicine’s mentor program and has been working in private practice in Connecticut since 1989.
Dr. Angie Cure-Urrego, Clinical Instructor, Department of General Dentistry
Dr. Angie Cure-Urrego completed the School of Dental Medicine’s two-year AEGD program in 2021 and previously received her dental degree in 2018 from Universidad Antonio Nariño in Bogota, Colombia.
Dr. Jenna Ward, Assistant Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences
Dr. Jenna Ward is a 2014 graduate of the School of Dental Medicine. Ward completed an AEGD residency at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015, an oral and maxillofacial pathology residency at New York Presbyterian in 2022, and a dental oncology fellowship from Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2023. Ward is also the newest member of the School of Dental Medicine’s oral pathology team.
