Chris Ivanoff DDS

Dr. Chris S. Ivanoff was appointed Professor of Restorative Dentistry at WVU School of Dentistry on September 11, 2023. He received his B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in 1982. He is an alumnus of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine (1988) where he also served in the Department of Comprehensive Care until 2006. In 2010 he joined the faculty at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry where he served in the Department of Prosthodontics, the Department of Bioscience Research, and as Director of Global Outreach, before his appointment at the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor as Director of Global Initiatives - Health System Affairs and Governmental Relations. He is an Honorary Professor at the Medical University of Sofia Faculty of Dental Medicine and is conferred with the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa at the Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He also practiced general dentistry for 35 years at his private practice in North Olmsted, OH, while serving Greater Cleveland’s most vulnerable communities as Dental Director at The Centers for Families and Children until August 2023.

As the Director of Global Outreach, he worked with the school leadership to support the global engagement mission of the College of Dentistry at UTHSC by enhancing and sustaining globally related education, research, and service. As founder of the Global Oral Health Initiative (GOHI), Dr. Ivanoff brought together an international alliance of dental schools to improve global oral healthcare and access to dental care by underserved populations. While his academic experience focuses primarily on the clinical training of predoctoral dental students, he also developed a curriculum to train predoctoral students about suspected child abuse and neglect. These curricular efforts were published in a campus spotlight article by the ADEA CCI Liaison Ledger at: http://www.adea.org/Blog.aspx?id=29782&blogid=20741. As an advocate for equity and inclusion in dental education, a multinational study he recently conducted about sexual harassment and misconduct in dental schools was selected as one of the top ten publications in the Journal of Dental Education.

Finally, Dr. Ivanoff has extensive research experiences which began as a college and dental student and continues to this very day. These efforts have translated into two innovative devices and a patented methodology based on AC electroosmosis and dielectrophoresis that can potentially revolutionize drug delivery in dentistry. In 2021, he received The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the President of the United States for his work with ring chromosome 14 syndrome children. He is well-published, well-rounded, creative, and adaptive. He enjoys working with students and offers the position a rich set of skills along with his commitment to train culturally competent and well-rounded dentists who will function successfully in a multicultural and dynamically evolving healthcare workforce.

Dr. Ivanoff comes from a family of political refugees and immigrated to America in 1968 right before his 8th birthday. He recently celebrated his 35th anniversary with his wife, Lisa, has three children (Athena, Ivan, and Sofiya), and loves his dog, Sasho, a Siberian Husky. Dr. Ivanoff describes himself as a “hands-on” type of guy and enjoys being down in the trenches with his students and patients. His passions are diverse and he loves to mentor. Dr. Ivanoff speaks six languages, plays piano accordion, and has traveled abroad extensively. When he is not doing dentistry or teaching, he enjoys landscaping and working around the yard.