NEOMED appoints Beck to lead the Bitonte College of Dentistry

Northeast Ohio Medical University has appointed M. Frank Beck, D.D.S., FAAHD, as the inaugural dean of its recently announced Bitonte College of Dentistry, which will be just the third dental college in the state of Ohio.

Dr. Beck is program director of the General Practice Dentistry – Dental Residency Program at Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. He also is an adjunct professor of internal medicine at NEOMED.

Dr. Beck chaired the External Advisory Council for the College of Dentistry that set principles to help develop a college to meet the oral health needs of Ohioans and prepare future leaders in the dental field. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and is a Fellow of the American Association of Hospital Dentists.

NEOMED also appointed Kristin Z. Victoroff, D.D.S., Ph.D., as associate dean for dental education and academic affairs. Dr. Victoroff was an associate professor of community dentistry in the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), where she held numerous faculty and administrative appointments. She earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from CWRU.

“Dr. Beck and Dr. Victoroff will each play a valuable role in developing the Bitonte College of Dentistry,” said John T. Langell, M.D., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. “Their complementary experiences will guide NEOMED’s integration of oral health and primary care and enable us to address issues related to access to dental care, further improving health through education, discovery and service.”

The Bitonte College of Dentistry was named in honor of a Dr. Dominic A. and Helen M. Bitonte Family Foundation $10-million commitment to support the fledgling College’s areas of greatest need, ongoing staffing, support and endowment. The gift was made by Drs. Gary and David Bitonte, who serve as directors of the Family Foundation and are the sons of Dr. Dominic A. and Helen M. Bitonte (both deceased).

Related

• Northeast Ohio Medical University to pursue dental college
• NEOMED receives $10 million commitment from Bitonte Family Foundation to establish a college of dentistry
• Make a gift to support the Bitonte College of Dentistry

About NEOMED

Founded in 1973, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) harnesses diversity, innovation, and collaboration to create transformative leaders and improve health through education, discovery and service. NEOMED’s mission is made possible through its network consisting of several nationally ranked health care systems. The University values leadership, excellence, advocacy, diversity, equity and respect. It has three Colleges — Medicine, Pharmacy and Graduate Studies — and offers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical and life science areas.

In addition to the basic sciences at its Colleges, NEOMED conducts research to advance innovation and research in health care through six research focus areas of excellence. NEOMED’s unique areas of service include Coordinating Centers of Excellence which disseminate best practices for treating mental illness; online didactics and onsite training through several programs; and patient services through its centers at NEOMED Health Care and its award-winning Student-run Free Clinic.