Drs. Boaz Arzi and Frank Verstraete Honored at National AVDC Conference

Drs. Boaz Arzi and Frank Verstraete Honored at National AVDC Conference

At the American Veterinary Dental College national meeting held September 15-17 in Nashville, school faculty Drs. Boaz Arzi and Frank Verstraete were recognized by their peers for outstanding contributions to veterinary dentistry.

 

 
Dr. Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC

Dr. Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC

Congratulations Dr. Boaz Arzi 2017 Hills Research and Education Award Recipient

Dr. Arzi (DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC), associate professor, was recognized for his exceptional contributions to the advancement of veterinary dentistry research and education. His main interests include maxillofacial reconstruction, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and the temporomandibular joint.

The work in regenerative medicine focuses on adipose-derived stem cells for the treatment of non-responsive feline gingivostomatitis and mandibular reconstruction using a bone morphogenetic protein to repair critical-sized bone defects. His well-funded, multidisciplinary team approach to each project includes colleagues from human medicine and biomedical engineering, an advantage of the expertise co-located at UC Davis. Results of his research hold promise for future human health advancements. Arzi has published a large number of peer reviewed publications in high tier journals in both fields, including four publications in high tier “human” medical journals. 

Arzi is also leading health and disease studies on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in animals, an understudied field from both a clinical and research perspective, working with colleague Frank Verstraete and contacts at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 

Born in Israel, Arzi received his DVM in 2002 from Szaint Istvan University, Budapest, Hungary. After five years in clinical practice he came to UC Davis to pursue residency training in Dentistry and Oral Surgery. In 2010, Arzi joined Dr. Athanasiou’s lab in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering as a post-doc fellow, working on bioengineered fibrocartilage spectrums and their surgical applications. He joined the school’s faculty in the department Surgical and Radiological Science in 2013. 

 
Dr. Frank J.M. Verstraete, BVSc, DrMedVet, MMedVet, DAVDC, DECVS, DEVDC

Dr. Frank J.M. Verstraete, BVSc, DrMedVet, MMedVet, DAVDC, DECVS, DEVDC

Congratulations Dr. Frank Verstraete recipient of the AVDC Zoo and Wildlife Dentistry Certificate

Dr. Frank J.M. Verstraete, (BVSc, DrMedVet, MMedVet, DAVDC, DECVS, DEVDC), professor, was invited to become an inaugural member of the American Veterinary Dentistry College’s organizing committee for Zoo and Wildlife Dentistry (ZWD). This new initiative recognizes the unique expertise associated with this area of dentistry.  Candidates worldwide were evaluated by their peers on their professional accomplishments and expertise, case-log and other documentation related to zoo and wildlife dentistry.  As a member of the inaugural organizing committee, Verstraete contributed to the development of the certificate examination to be taken by all ZWD candidates. He is one of only 15 professionals awarded the ZWD Certificate.

Verstraete graduated as a veterinarian at the University of Gent (Belgium). He pursued his graduate studies at the University of Pretoria (South Africa) where he completed a residency in small animal surgery. He is a Charter Diplomate of the European Veterinary Dental College, as well as a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College and the European College of Veterinary Surgeons. A member of the school’s faculty since 1994, Verstraete is currently is Professor of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, and Chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service. His main research interests are comparative oral pathology, radiology and surgery. He has published extensively on the dental and temporomandibular joint pathology of wild animals, in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, and the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.