Vice president for research at New York Medical College (NYMC), and provost for biomedical research at Touro College and University Systems (TCUS)
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| Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D. |
A globally-recognized thought leader in the field of periodontal research and inflammatory disease—Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., vice president for research at New York Medical College (NYMC), and provost for biomedical research at Touro College and University Systems (TCUS), was part of the original team of researchers who linked oral health to systemic inflammation, forever changing the way we think about dental medicine. His research in this arena has led to one of the most sweeping changes in the insurance industry, precipitating a move toward free or low-cost, enhanced dental benefits for certain high-risk patients. With his unrelenting pioneering spirit and passion for advancing medical research, it comes as no surprise that amidst the COVID-19 health crisis, Dr. Amar became a driving force behind the NYMC/Regeneron COVID drug trials—setting the College among the nation’s top researchers racing to find a treatment. Read the full story on the NYMC COVID-19 Clinical Drug Trials.
In the mid-1980s, Salomon Amar was a young Ph.D./dental student at Université Louis-Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, when he met two advisors, one a researcher, the other a clinician, who set him on course to help shape the modern understanding oral health.
“They showed me who I wanted to become and how I wanted to contribute to the sciences—whether in dentistry or in molecular immunology and translational research,” he explains. Under their mentorship, he participated in game-changing research—his work published into top-ranked journals for cardiovascular health. More than three decades later, that research has critically shaped our views on modern dentistry and our understanding of systemic inflammatory disease including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and arthritis.
Beyond his notable contributions in the field of periodontal research, and his most recent impressive efforts in the realm of COVID-19 research, Dr. Amar’s notable successes include: growing NYMC’s leadership role in the emerging field of microbiome research, launching a Bench-to-Bedside Seminar Series to address issues in translational medicine in conjunction with Westchester Medical Center Health Network, helping to create a first-of-its-kind, bi-directional teaching model—NYMC’s co-located dental clinic and family healthcare practice, and leading the expansion of BioInc@NYMC (the Hudson Valley’s only biomedical incubator on a health sciences college campus).
It’s an impressive resume—yet Dr. Amar still has plenty to accomplish. “I strongly believe that we should not remain static, rather this College should always be in movement.” Toward this end, Dr. Amar has set his sights on focusing on NYMC’s faculty retention model, research infrastructure and student research. “The future is extremely bright. We weathered the storm when funding across the board reached the bottom in 2014-2015. We persevered and now as the industry is enjoying an upswing— we will thrive.”