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UW School of Dentistry

Department: Oral Medicine

Milda Chmieliauskaite

Chmieliauskaite

Dr. Milda Chmieliauskaite is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry and the Graduate Program director in the Oral Medicine MSD/residency program.

She obtained both her Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her postdoctoral residency training in Oral Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, serving as Chief Resident her second year.

Dr. Chmieliauskaite currently teaches predoctoral and postdoctoral students clinically in the Oral Medicine clinical services and lectures didactically on topics within oral medicine, and orofacial pain. Her scholarly work focuses on oral medicine, orofacial pain and public health. In addition, Dr. Chmieliauskaite is an Attending at the University of Washington Medical Center.

She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Medicine and an active member of the American Academy of Oral Medicine chairing a committee and serving as a board member.

  • Residency in Oral Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania/University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, 2016
  • M.P.H., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2014
  • D.M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, 2014
  • B.S., Biology, The Ohio State University, 2009
  • Certificates of merit from the American Academy of Oral Medicine (2021, 2019)
  • World Workshop of Oral Medicine, Göthenburg, Sweden (2018)
  • ADEA Emerging Leaders, Washington DC (2018)
  • Oral Medicine Resident Award, University of Pennsylvania (2016)
  • Dr. Earle Bank Hoyt Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
  • Certificate of Merit and Award in Oral Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
  • Honors in Community Service, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
  • Community Dentistry and Dental Public Health Award, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
  • Matthew Cryer Honor Society, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
  • Kristeller Radiology Award, University of Pennsylvania (2013)

Sara Gordon

Gordon

Dr. Sara Gordon is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Washington, School of Dentistry.

A 1986 graduate of Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry, she established and ran a successful general dental practice in Nova Scotia for 8 years. During these years she also taught oral diagnosis and oral pathology at Dalhousie University part time, practiced in the university Mouth Clinic, and consulted for the children’s hospital and an Alzheimer facility.  Dr. Gordon was an oral pathology resident at University Hospital, London, Ontario 1993-1997 and completed a Master of Science in Pathology in 1996, with a thesis entitled Foreign Body Gingivitis. Dr. Gordon taught general, systemic, and oral pathology at the University of Detroit Mercy 1997-2006 and practiced in the oral medicine, radiology, oral diagnosis, and screening clinics. She established and directed the UDM Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program. She also practiced at the Oral Pathology Diagnostic Service at St John Hospital in Detroit.  In Chicago from 2006-2014, Dr. Gordon taught general, systemic, and oral pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and practiced in the oral medicine clinic. She established and directed the UIC Oral Pathology Diagnostic Service. She moved to the University of Washington in 2014 to help establish the new curriculum.

Dr. Gordon is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada in both Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, and a Fellow in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a Fellow, Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), Drexel University.

Dr. Gordon is a past president of the Canadian Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Medicine. She is a site consultant for oral pathology, for the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation, and a national specialty examiner in oral medicine and oral pathology for the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. She has served on the executive committees of numerous professional organizations including the American Academy of Oral Pathology, Council of Michigan Dental Specialties, Nova Scotia Dental Association, and several sections of the American Dental Education Association.

Dr. Gordon has taught more than 120 continuing education courses, and authored or co-authored nearly 100 journal articles, textbook chapters, posters and abstracts. She is currently very active nationally in dental education. Her research interests lie at the convergence of oral health and systemic health.

  1. Davis JM, Arnett M, Loewen JM, Romito LM, Gordon SC. Tobacco Dependence Education: a survey of US and Canadian dental schools. J Am Dent Assoc. 2016;147(6):405-12.
  2. Gordon SC, Donoff B. Problems and solutions for interprofessional education in North American dental schools. In: Impact of Oral Health on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. Linda Kaste and Leslie Halpern, ed. Dental Clinics of North America. 2016;60(4):811-24.
  3. Gordon SC, MacDonald NE. Dealing with measles in dental practice: a forgotten foe makes a comeback. J Am Dent Assoc. July 2015, 146(7):558-60.
  4. Fitzpatrick S, Hirsch S, Gordon SC. The malignant transformation of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions: a systematic review. J Am Dent Assoc. 2014;145(1):45-56.
  5. Szylkowska E, Kaste LM, Schreiner J, Gordon SC, Lee DJ. Comparison of systemic health conditions between African American and Caucasian complete denture patients. J Prosthodont. 2014;23(5):341-6.
  6. Halpern LR, Kaste LM, Briggs C, DiPietro LA, Erwin K, Frantsve-Hawley K, Gordon SC, Heaton B, Henshaw MM, Joskow R, Reisine SC, Sinkford JC. Preface: Women’s oral health: growing evidence for enhancing perspectives. In: Gender Disparities in Oral Health and Disease, Leslie Halpern and Linda Kaste, ed. Dental Clinics of North America. 2013;57(2): xv-xxviii.
  7. Russell S, Gordon SC, Kaste LM, Lukacs J. Sex/Gender differences in tooth loss and edentulism: historical perspectives, biological factors, and sociologic reasons. In: Gender Disparities in Oral Health and Disease, Leslie Halpern and Linda Kaste, ed. Dental Clinics of North America. 57(2):317-37.
  8. Epstein JB, Gordon SC. Managing patients with red or red-white oral lesions. J Canadian Dent Assoc. J Can Dent Assoc. 2013;79:d95.
  9. Sun Y, Lu Y, Engeland C, Gordon SC, Sroussi HY. The anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and protective effect of S100A8 in endotoxemic mice. Mol Immunol. 2012;53(4):443-449.
  10. Gordon SC, Kaste LM, Barasch A, Safford MM, Foong WC, ElGeneidy A. Prenuptial dental extractions in Acadian women: first report of a cultural tradition. J Women’s Health (Larchmt). 2011;20(12):1813-8.
  11. Kolokythas A, Schwartz J, Pytynia KB, Panda S, Yao M, Homann B, Sroussi HY. Epstein JB, Gordon SC, Adami GR. Analysis of RNA from brush cytology detects changes in B2M CYP1B1 and KRT levels with oral squamous cell carcinoma in tobacco users. Oral Oncol. 2011;47(6):532-6.

David Dean

Dean

Dr. David Dean is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry and the Director of the Oral Medicine service at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. A lifelong Husky, he completed his BS, DDS, and MSD in Oral Medicine at UW. His current clinical practice is split between the oral medicine services at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington.

He is a diplomat of the American Board of Oral Medicine, a fellow in the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, a fellow in the American College of Dentists, and a Seattle Met “Top Dentist” in the field of Oral Medicine. Academic honors include the Bruce R. Rothwell distinguished teaching award (UWSOD’s highest teaching honor), the UWSOD Dental Alumni Faculty award, and participation in SCCA Medical Leadership Development’s High Potentials program. Scholarship activity includes an NIDCR funded R01 assessing the oral impacts of chronic Graft-versus-Host disease and participation in expert panels through the American Society of Transplant & Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), and the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), and the 7th World Workshop of Oral Medicine. He served as graduate program director in the Oral Medicine MSD program from 2016-2022 and was honored to be chosen as the Commencement Speaker and Guest of Honor for the UWSOD class of 2016.

In his time at UW, Dr. Dean has served as a Foundations Pioneer, helping to create the UWSOD’s award-winning scientific curriculum. He currently directs the Blood, Autoimmunity, and Neoplasia course while teaching regularly at both the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels. Outside of UW he is active in local and national continuing dental and medical education and currently serves the chair of the scientific sessions committee for the American Academy of Oral Medicine.

Oral complications of cancer, cancer therapy, and hematopoietic cell transplantation; Oral mucosal disorders including Graft-versus-Host-Disease; Temporomandibular disorders; Burning mouth syndrome; Neuropathic orofacial pain.

  • BS: University of Washington (Cellular, Molecular, & Developmental Biology), 2006
  • DDS: University of Washington, 2010
  • MSD (Oral Medicine): University of Washington, 2014
  • Diplomate, American Board of Oral Medicine
  • Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh

C. Michele Lloid

Lloid
Ms. Lloid is a recognized clinical expert on the oral tissue manifestations of bone marrow transplantation and graft versus host disease and has been involved in treating bone marrow transplant recipients. She is one of the key clinical personnel in Oral Medicine studies dealing with the management of transplant related oral mucositis, changes in oral microflora, oral tissue pathologies and other effects of transplant-related procedures. Her roles include recruiting subjects, collaborating in designing treatment and data collection protocols, organizing the collected data, ensuring study procedures were followed, collaborating on data analysis and interpretation, and collaborating on writing the resulting manuscripts.

  1. Lloid, Michele E. Oral Examination. In ONS Blood and Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Special Interest Group Newsletter. Volume 18, Issue 1 Feb. 2007
  2. Schubert, MM, Eduardo, FP, Guthrie, K, Franquine, JC, Bensadoun, RJ, Lloid, ME, Eduardo, CP, Niccoli-Filho, W, Marques, MM, Migliorati, CA, Hamdi, MA. Phase III randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trials to determine the efficacy of low energy laser therapy for the prevention of oral mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Support Care Cancer. 15:1145-1147, 2007.
  3. Nash, RA, Johnston, L, Parker, P, McCune, JS, Storer, B, Slattery, JT, Furlong, T, Anasetti, C, Appelbaum, FR, Lloid, ME, Deeg, HF, Kiem, H-P, Martin, PJ, Schubert, MM, Witherspoon, RP, Forman, SJ, Blume, KJ, Storb, R. A Phase 1-2 Study of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Combination with Cyclosporine for Prophylaxis of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease after Myeloablative Conditioning and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Boil Blood Marrow Transplant. 11:495-505, 2005.
  4. Robien, K, Schubert, MM, Bruemmer, B, Lloid, ME, Potter, JD, Ulrich, CM. Predictors of oral mucositis in patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplants for chronic myelogenous leukemia. J Clin Oncol, 22(7):1268-75, 2004.

Kimberly Espinoza

Dr. Espinoza received her bachelor’s degree in biology and physics from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, in 2000, her DDS from the University of Southern California in 2004, her Advanced Education in General Dentistry certificate from the University of New Mexico in 2006 and a master’s degree in public health from UNM in 2011. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Special Care Dentistry and received fellowship recognition with the American College of Dentists, National Academies of Practice, and the Academy of Dentistry for People with Disabilities.

Dr. Espinoza was a faculty member at the University of New Mexico Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program for 8 years before joining the UW School of Dentistry. She has served in leadership roles in several national organizations, including Special Care Advocates in Dentistry, the Special Care Dentistry Association, and the American Board of Special Care Dentistry. At the UW School of Dentistry she serves as Director of the DECOD Program and Thread Champion for the Care of Diverse Populations in the predoctoral curriculum.

Mark Schubert

Clinical Expertise

Dr. Schubert has over 24 years of experience in the fields of oral medicine and oral oncology (i.e., oral complications of cancer and cancer therapy) and oral infectious diseases, including the oral manifestations and complications associated with HIV.

Education And Training

  • MSD, School of Dentistry, Oral Medicine, 1981.
  • Certificate, School of Dentistry, Oral Medicine, 1980.
  • DDS, University of Washington, Dentistry, 1974.

Research Interests

Current oncology research is focused on studies related to the prevention and management of oral mucositis associated with cancer therapy. Research has focused on topical anti-infectives (antibiotics and definsins), growth factors and cytokines (KGFs and IL-11), cytoprotective agents (benzydamine, amifostine), and low level lasers therapy. Additional research interests include management strategies for other oral complications of cancer therapy including salivary gland dysfunction, oral graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopooeitic cell transplant recipients, and dental growth and development problems following hematopooeitic cell transplant.

Research focus in infectious disease is currently directed at determining intra oral tissues sites infected with human herpes virus 8.

Michael D. Martin

Background

Dr. Martin graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) in 1979. He directed the Special Patient Care program at UKCD until 1986, when he returned to graduate school. He completed his Master’s of Public Health at the University of Washington (U.W.) in 1989 and a concurrent Master’s in International Studies at the Jackson School (U.W.) in 1990. Dr. Martin completed a PhD in Epidemiology at U.W. in 1993. He completed Oral Medicine specialty training in 1993, and was awarded a Master’s of Science in Dentistry in 1994, both at the University of Washington.

Dr. Martin served as Director of the Dental Education in Care of Persons with Disabilities program at the U.W. from 1994 to 1999. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine, with adjunct appointments in the Departments of Dental Public Health Sciences and Epidemiology. Dr. Martin’s research interests include the epidemiology of mercury exposure in dentistry, as well as oral mucosal disease and oro-facial pain. He has authored numerous scientific publications and lectured nationally and internationally.

Dr. Martin has initiated a mercury and dental materials allergy and mucosal disease testing and evaluation service at the University of Washington in the Oral Medicine Clinical Service, and welcomes referrals to this clinic.

Dr. Martin is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Oral Medicine, and maintains an active practice in the Oral Medicine clinics at the University of Washington where he evaluates and treats oral mucosal and other oro-facial diseases, oro-facial pain and temporomandibular dysfunction.

Linda LeResche

LeResche

Linda LeResche received her doctoral degree in comparative behavior from Johns Hopkins University in 1976 and subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in mental disorder epidemiology, also at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Since 1983, she has been conducting NIH-funded pain research as a faculty member in the Department of Oral Medicine, where she is currently Professor. Dr. LeResche’s work has focused on behavioral and epidemiologic aspects of pain, including pain-related behavior of patients and clinicians, the epidemiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), studies of the reliability of clinical measures for TMD, and the development of standardized research diagnostic criteria for TMD. Her most recent research involves gender and hormonal issues related to orofacial pain.

Dr. LeResche has been a member of several NIDCR and NIH panels, most recently the National Pain Strategy Working Group on Population Research. She has been active in the American Association for Dental Research and the International Association for the Study of Pain, serving on several task forces and committees and is on the Editorial Board of the Clinical Journal of Pain. In addition to her research activities, Dr. LeResche is Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship and Faculty at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. She was a Pew Foundation National Leadership Development Fellow (1991) and was the first recipient of the Mentor of the Year Award of the Student Research Group, American Association for Dental Research (1998).

  1. LeResche L. Defining gender disparities in pain management. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011; 469: 1871-1877.
  2. Janssens KAM, Rosmalen JGM, Ormel J, Verhulst FC, Hunfeld JAM, Mancl LA, Oldehinkel AJ, LeResche L.   Pubertal status positively predicts back pain, overtiredness and dizziness in American and Dutch adolescents. Pediatrics. 2011;128: 553-559.
  3. Turner JA, Mancl L, Huggins K, Sherman JJ, Lentz G, LeResche L. Targeting temporomandibular disorder pain treatment to hormonal fluctuations: A randomized clinical trial. Pain. 2011; 152: 2074-84.
  4. LeResche L, Epidemiology of Pain Conditions with Higher Prevalence in Women. Chapter 1 in: Chin ML, Fillingim RB, Ness T, eds. Pain in Women. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2013: 3-15.
  5. LeResche L, Drangsholt MT. Temporomandibular Disorders. In: Goldman MB, Troisi R, Rexrode KM eds. Women and Health. Second Edition. Elsevier; 2013: 1367-1378.
  6. Thielke SM, Turner JA, Shortreed SM, Saunders K, LeResche L, Campbell CI, Weisner CC, Von Korff M. Do patient-perceived pros and cons of opioids predict sustained higher-dose use? Clin J Pain 2014; 30:93-101.
  7. Turner JA, Shortreed SM, Saunder KW, LeResche L, Berlin JA, Von Korff M. Optimizing prediction of back pain outcomes. Pain 2013; 154:1391-1401.
  8. LeResche L, Turner JA, Saunders K, Shortreed SM, Von Korff M. Psychophysical tests as predictors of back pain chronicity in primary care. J Pain, 2013; 14:1663-1670.
  9. Turner JA, Saunders K, Shortreed S, Rapp SE, Thielke S, LeResche L, Riddell KM, Von Korff M. Chronic opioid therapy risk reduction initiative: Impact on urine drug screening rates and results. J Gen Intern Med, 2014; 29:305-311.

Lars Hollender

Background

Dr. Lars Hollender received his dental degree in 1958 from the Royal Dental School in Malmo, Sweden. In 1964 he defended his thesis for a Doctor of Odontology degree (PhD). In 1965, he was employed at the Medical Radiology Department in Sahlgren’s Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden. In July 1968 he was appointed the first Professor and Chair of the Oral Radiology Department in the School of Dentistry at the University of Goteborg. Between October 1980 and April 1982, he was a Visiting Professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA. He was Vice Dean and Acting Dean of the School of Dentistry, University of Goteborg, between 1983 – 1985. Between October 1984 and February 1987, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, WA. He was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Adelaide in 1992. He became Professor and Director of the Oral Radiology Division of the UW School of Dentistry in 1988.

Dr. Hollender is a certified specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in Sweden and is also a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. Dr. Hollender has published over 100 articles and several chapters in textbooks. He was awarded the research prize of the South Swedish Dental Association in 1964 and the annual research prize of the Swedish Dental Association in 1965. In 1976 he received the Elander research prize. He is an honorary member of the International Association of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology and of the Australian Academy of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology as well as a fellow of the latter. He is also an honorary member of the Dental Student Organization of the Dental School, University of Goteborg, Sweden. Dr. Hollender was editor of Oodontologisk Revy, the scientific dental journal of the South Swedish Dental Association, 1964-1969. He has been on the editorial board of several scientific journals.

Dr. Hollender served as a Director of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (ABOMR) 1991-1995 and was its Secretary-Treasurer 1991-1994 and its President in 1995. In 1996 he was elected the first Councilor of the ABOMR for a term of 5 years and he was reelected to this position for the period 2000-2005. He was elected President-elect of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in 1994 and was the President of AAOMR 1995-1996. In 1999 he was elected member of the ADA Review Committee on Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.

Dr. Hollender is a member of several professional organizations including ADA, AAOMR, ABOMR, IADMFR, AADS, and the Swedish Society of Oral Radiology.

Beatrice Gandara

Background

Dr. Beatrice Gandara is a 1978 graduate of the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in Los Angeles, California. She was a general practice resident at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in La Jolla, California from 1978-79, and a staff dentist at the Edward Royal Comprehensive Health Center in Los Angeles for two years following her residency. In 1981-82, Dr. Gandara was a part-time instructor at the USC dental school and associated in a private practice in Anaheim, California. In 1982, she moved to Seattle, Washington to enter the Oral Medicine specialty program at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, earning her MSD degree in the field of Oral Medicine in 1985. During her studies, she also completed a National Institute of Aging Fellowship in Geriatric Dentistry and a NRSA Fellowship in Salivary Gland Research. She also participated in the Dental Education and Care of the Disabled (DECOD) program in 1985.

In 1987, Dr. Gandara joined the faculty of the University of Washington Department of Oral Medicine. In 1990 she became a Diplomate in the American Board of Oral Medicine, and in 1992-93, participated in a research fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She is currently appointed as Lecturer in the Department of Oral Medicine.

Dr. Gandara’s research interests are saliva as a diagnostic fluid, as well as therapy for salivary disorders. She also dedicates time teaching undergraduate dental students and is Director of the Emergency Clinic at the School of Dentistry. Her patient care responsibilities include oral medicine, urgent care and geriatric dentistry.

Mark Drangsholt

Drangsholt
Dr. Drangsholt received his DDS degree from the University of Washington in 1984 and completed a general practice residency at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago in 1985. He began a general dental practice in Kent, Washington, in 1985 where he continued to practice from half to full time until 1995. He returned to the University of Washington and earned his M.P.H. in Epidemiology in 1992, a certificate in Oral Medicine in 1995 and completed his PhD in Epidemiology in 2004. He was appointed as a tenure-track assistant professor in 2006 , was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2009, and full professor in 2012. He was appointed Chair of the Department of Oral Medicine in 2010, and continues in that role. He served on the American Board of Oral Medicine from 2012 to 2021, serving in multiple roles including president. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington School of Dentistry in 2019.
Dr. Drangsholt currently teaches in multiple medical/dental school and oral medicine graduate courses. He mentors Oral Medicine graduate students in various research projects. He has given over 150 presentations, including invited research presentations in Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Thailand, and Australia, besides multiple universities across the US. He is the past president of the Neuroscience Section of the International Association for Dental Research, and past president of the University of Washington Dental Alumni Association.
Dr. Drangsholt provides patient care in the Oral Medicine Clinical Service department at the University of Washington, where his clinical practice is limited to the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders, oral-facial pain, oral mucosal lesions, and other oral-facial diseases. He also provides care at the Center for Pain Relief, University of Washington Medical Center since 2011.
His current research projects include finding better ways to diagnose orofacial pains, investigating the causes of orofacial pain conditions, rethinking the classification of orofacial pains, and generally applying epidemiologic methods to major orofacial health problems. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed scientific articles, book chapters, reviews and letters to the editor.