Suzanne U. Stucki-mccormick MS, DDS, OMS, MS

Science has always been a passion. In effect, I am a true nerd. So much so that one of my first research projects was working on brain mapping with a team at NASA, Moffett Field, near Palo Alto, California. Next, as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, my interest and work shifted to a project focused on Na/K channels of pancreatic islet cells at UC San Francisco. Then on to West Virginia University for my Master's in Microbiology researching Actinomyces followed by my DDS and OMFS training.

The next step in my journey was to move to New York City where I had the privilege to work with the teams at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, NYU, and the NYEEI. Here in New York City, like colleagues, my practice was spent in both academic practice and private practice settings. I had the serendipitous chance to meet and work with Dr. Joseph McCarthy and Dr. Barry Grayson on the development of the Distraction Osteogenesis technique. Leaving NYC, I moved back to my native California to become Professor and Chair, at Loma Linda University, followed by shifting to private practice in Encinitas, California.

Another serendipitous event was to be appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the Dental Board for the State of California for 7 years. I also was elected and served as its President for two terms. The first female OMFS to serve as a President of a Dental Board in the USA. A unique opportunity to work and see our profession from a completely different viewpoint. From this vantage grew my interest in ethics, ERAS protocols, and the opioid crisis. Now I am primarily involved with teaching at UCLA School of Dentistry and in giving back to our profession.

My interest in science has led to diverse opportunities. I wrote and was granted by the US Patent Office two patents for dental implants. A joy and honor have been to lecture worldwide and publish scientific articles and book chapters, serving as the editor for three books including Ethical Decision Making in Dentistry. Yet my interest in scientific endeavors is balanced with a passion for bodyboarding.

Currently, I am kept busy with the privilege to serve on numerous committees for organized dentistry: AAOMS, CALAOMS, IAOMS, and ACOMS. I also serve as a Section Editor for the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (IJOMS), on the Examination Committee of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), Co-Chair, Certificate Maintenance, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), and Vice-President of American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS).