Dental News - Dr. Lauro Medrano-Saldaña Makes Dental History

Javier de Pisón, Dental Tribune Latin America

Tue. 27 September 2016

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NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Renowned Puerto Rican dentist Dr. Lauro Medrano-Saldaña was elected chairman of the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM), the largest dental congress and exhibition in the United States with over 54,000 attendees every year. Medrano-Saldaña will become the first Hispanic Chairman in the 92-year-old history of the meeting, which this time will take place Nov. 25 - 30 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

As outreach chairman, Medrano-Saldaña has played a key role in expanding international participation at the meeting, which resulted in the overall growth of the event.

Starting in 2017, Medrano-Saldaña will be general chairman-elect, after which he will assume his two-year mandate (2018-2019) as general chairman., and the through 2020 he will work as advisor to the new general chairman.

The official Sept. 13th, 2016, election announcement marks a before and after in American dentistry. After many years of hard work, Medrano-Saldaña has broken a major ethnic barrier in the dental field, and his appointment will have a profound impact. His election was widely praised in the US, Latin America, and even Europe.

“This is the culmination of a great effort and very hard work,” Medrano-Saldaña told Dental Tribune Latin America. “I think I'm breaking barriers, and opening doors for other Hispanic dental practitioners who aspire to leadership positions.”

Asked about his plans for the largest dental meeting in the US, Medrano-Saldaña said he has three main goals.

“My No. 1 goal is to reach 60,000 attendees at the meeting. The second is to strengthen our partnerships with international dental organizations, and the third goal is to produce the first Spanish-language Live Dentistry Arena,” he said, referring to one of the meeting's main features. The Live Dentistry Arena is a 450-seat, high-tech demonstration area on live patients that offers revolutionary concepts in treatment.

International participation is of such importance to GNYDM, that Medrano-Saldaña will retain his position as global outreach director. “At this moment, 51 percent of registered dentists for the 2016 meeting are foreign professionals, mainly from Latin America,” he explained.

Background and praise

Born and raised in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, Medrano-Saldaña moved to New York in 1991, and has been in private practice since 1995 in Brooklyn, where he runs Sunset Pediatric Dentristry. In 1997, he worked as faculty professor at the Metropolitan Hospital, and in 1998 was appointed attending doctor of Pediatric Dentistry at NYU Lutheran Medical Center.

A past president of the Second District (Brooklyn) of the NY State Dental Association (NYSDA), he is a Delegate of NYSDA, as well of the American Dental Association, where he is a member of the Council on Goverment Affairs.

At the Greater New York Dental Meeting, he has been a decisive force in reaching to international attendees, especially from Latin American countries. As a result of his efforts, the meeting now offers a five-day program in Spanish, in addition to several days of lectures in Portuguese, French, Russian and Chinese, among other languages.

Dr. Steven Gournades, speaker of the house at NYSDA, who has known Medrano-Saldaña for over 20 years, said, “There is nobody more capable than him to take on the immense responsibilities of the meeting. He is respected all over the country and all over the world. He is effective, sincere and gets things done. I have no doubt that he’s going to take the meeting to the highest levels. He’s an example for anyone to emulate. We will benefit from his experience and expertise.”

Dr. Chad Gehani, ADA trustee and past NYSDA president, said he knows Medrano-Saldaña since he was a dental student in New York in the early ’90s. “He has always shown the potential to be the leader of the community,” he said. “He also has a desire in him to do something to make a difference in society. I'm not surprised by his election. He will do a wonderful job as chairman, and reach to many communities, no only in New York but globally. He wants to expand the scope of dentistry globally. He is the right man, in the right place, and will do the right job.”

Dr. Anthony Di Mango, senior vice president, chief of dentistry, and co-director of oral and maxilofacial surgery at NYU Lutheran, said that Medrano-Saldaña is “a wonderful person, smart, meticulous, and knows what he is doing. He will be a great chairman of GNYDM.”

“He represents the epitome of a true caring professional, who relentlessly gives much of his time to provide pro bono work to the needy, volunteers to improve his own association at all levels, and always pursues serving the public through access of care. It's a privilege to have such a friend,” said Dr. Anthony E. Chillura, director of dental risk management at Allied Protector Plans.

Dr. James Sconzo, general practice residency director and trustee, NYSDA, said Medrano-Saldaña has done a fantastic job over the years. “He’s and asset to GNYDM and to New York dentistry. He does it out of his heart, and I want to thank him for what he does for dentistry. He has already changed the diversity makeup at ADA and GNYDM, which is why we now have programs in different languages” at the meeting.

Latin America celebrates

Medrano-Saldaña's election as GNYDM chairman was praised throughout Latin America as well, where he has become a leader known for helping dental colleges and associations improve ties with American dentistry.

“There is nobody better than Lauro for the position of Chairman,” said Dr. Víctor Guerrero Reynoso, president of the Congress of the Mexican Dental Association. “He is a born leader. He has national and international experience, a positive mind, and the ability to solve problems.”

The former president of the Dental College of Peru, Dr. Juan Enrique Bazán, said the election is a recognition that “the great investments made by Dr. Medrano-Saldaña to help Latin America dental associations have paid off in increased attendance to GNYDM.”

Dr. Enrique Jadad, an international speaker and researcher based in Colombia, said that “Lauro is a leader who has worked tirelessly for world dentistry for many years,” and that “his appointment will reinforce the resolve of Latin American dentists to be a part of the Greater New York Dental Meeting.”

The well-known Argentinean researcher and professor, Dr. Eduardo Ceccotti, said from Buenos Aires that the election represents “a personal and professional triumph for Medrano-Saldaña, who long history of accomplishments bodes well for dentistry.”

The president of the Argentina-based educational association ROCA, Dr. Melania González y Rivas, added that “the high professional standards of Dr. Medrano-Saldaña ensures a successful tenure as chairman.”

From Spain, founder and director of the Barcelona-based Advanced School in Implant Dentistry (ESI Barcelona), Dr. Sergio Cacciacane, who frequently works with AAID, NYU and Loma Linda University, said he has been “a witness to Dr. Medrano-Saldaña's hard work, and has the support of all ESI Schools in Spain and Latin America.”

Dental Tribune also wishes to congratulate Medrano-Saldaña, who has worked tirelessly to help dentistry thoughout the world.

The 92th Annual Greater New York Dental Meeting will take place Nov. 25 - 30, and it has become a must-attend event linked to Thanksgiving. This year it will add exhibit areas for exclusive events such as the World Implant Expo, the Global Orthodontics Conference, the Diabetes Symposium, the Sleep Apnea Conference, and the Special German Pavilion.

Dr. Gerard J. Chiche, director of the Ronald Goldstein Center for Esthetic & Implant Dentistry and author of “Smile Design: A Guide for Clinician, Ceramist, and Patient,” will be the featured speaker at the Opening Session Special Event, with a lecture titled “Smile Design, Bonding and Esthetic Materials Update.”

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