Instructors & Residency Clinical Directors

Dr. Alfred L. "Duke" Heller

Co-founder of the JU Comprehensive Oral Implantology Residency Program

Alfred Heller, DDS, M. S., has placed more than 20,000 implants since 1969. He earned his DDS (1962) and MS (1974) from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. He is an Honored American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) Fellow. He also served on the Admissions and Credentials Board of AAID for seven years. In 1980, he founded the Midwest Implant Institute (MII). He is board-certified in Oral Implantology by the American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI). Additionally, Dr. Heller has served as President of the ABOI. Dr. Heller's participation in implant research has enabled him to advance and develop the field of implant surgery. Dr. Heller has completed two FDA studies on dental implants and bone grafting materials. Dr. Heller has taught hands-on dental implant surgery post-graduate courses in eight American dental colleges. He and the MII Faculty teach all different implant modalities as Dr. Heller believes that "bone dictates the type of implant to be used that will best serve the patient."

Dr. O. Hilt Tatum

Co-founder of the JU Comprehensive Oral Implantology Residency Program

Hilt Taum, Jr, DDS has been instrumental in the development of The AAID/JU 3-year residency in "Comprehensive Oral Implantology". He has devoted his 65-year dental career to attempting to serve his patients and share what he has learned with others. He has introduced many of the foundation components which are utilized in COI and he hopes to continue this service during the development of this residency program. Tatum graduated from the now-defunct Emory University Dental School in 1957. He had several University faculty appointments in the USA and for 25 years was on the faculty of The Lille University School of Medicine in France. Dr. Tatum also served as President of both the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry. On June 16, 2003, he was awarded The French Legion of Honour by President Jacques Chirac in Paris, France. Following this, he established a training course in Birmingham, England where he trained multiple dentists on how to expand bone, place implants, and graft sinuses. He continues to work into his eighth decade.

Dr. James Rutkowski

Comprehensive Oral Implantology Program Director

James L. Rutkowski, D.M.D., Ph.D., graduated from Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in 1972 and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1976. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at Duquesne University in 2008. Jim practiced dentistry for 44 years, concentrating on implant dentistry and medically compromised patients. Dr. Rutkowski is an Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), Diplomate, and Past President of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID), Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oral Implantology (JOI), and Program Director for the Jacksonville University Comprehensive Oral Implantology Residency. He is an Adjunct Faculty for the State University of New York at the Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Rutkowski has been awarded the prestigious Gershkoff-Goldberg Award for exemplary service to AAID and exceptional contributions to implant dentistry. He’s also been awarded the Isiah Lew Memorial Research Award for significant impact on research in implant dentistry. Dr. Rutkowski has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored multiple textbook chapters.

Residency Clinical Directors

Listed alphabetically.

Dr. Joseph Bedich

Dr. Clark Brinton

Dr. Shephard DeLong

Dr. DeLong is a general dentist in Portland, Oregon, USA. He holds a BS from Portland State University, DMD from Oregon Health and Sciences University, and he completed a GPR at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since 2010, he has been practicing in the Western United States and has volunteered internationally in India and Guatemala. He has been a member of the ADA, IAOCI, IAOMT, WSP, and AMED and has served as a mentor for CDOCS. He has been at the forefront of modern dental medicine and was an associate at Mint Dental Works, the first LEED-certified, hi-tech, eco-friendly practice in the U.S. He is also on staff and mentors at Pure Health Dentistry on the island of Maui, Hawaii. He currently maintains a full-time private practice at Lotus Dental Wellness, which he founded in 2017, offering patients oral health and whole-body wellness. He did his initial implant training in residency and through the California Implant Institute in partnership with UNLV. He has completed both the Fellowship and Masterclass through Z-systems International. He is SMART certified through the IAOMT. He completed his IV sedation training under Ken Reed and Stanley Malamed and is licensed to perform parenteral moderate sedation. He has completed all coursework and requirements and is awaiting certification in Biological Dentistry and Ceramic Implantology from the Swiss Bio Health Institute, the leading training center in the world for Ceramic Implantology. Since 2019 he has lectured in the United States and internationally on ceramic implants, lasers, digital dentistry, the operating microscope, dynamic navigation, and robotics. He has been published in the Journal of Oral Ceramic Implantology as well as multiple award-winning poster presentations and conference proceedings. Last year he was given the honor of presenting at the Mayo Clinic’s 1st Conference on Robotics and Advanced Surgical Technologies and was the only dental or oral surgeon representing this field. In October 2023, he presented on Robotics and AI at the Joint Congress of Ceramic Implantology in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. He strives daily to maintain work/life balance and sees the future of medicine evolving towards optimal health for the entire world's population.

Dr. Taher Dhoon

Dr. R. Todd Erickson

Dr. Erickson's dental career began at Creighton University, followed by a GPR at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. After a year of private practice in General Dentistry, Dr. Erickson went on to complete his first specialty residency in oral & maxillofacial surgery in Michigan, then moved back to Washington State to practice oral surgery as an associate. A few years later, he started his oral surgery practice in the Seattle-Tacoma area. A decade later, due to the exponential growth in digital technology and the merger of CBCT imaging, treatment planning, and the delivery of surgical care, Dr. Erickson pursued a second specialty certification in oral and maxillofacial radiology. Today, Dr. Erickson is a full-time associate Professor teaching pre-doctoral dental students, orthodontic residents, and AEGD residents at A.T. Still University. Additionally, he is on the faculty at an Implant Education Company in Phoenix, Arizona, where he combines his unique experience as an Oral Radiologist and an Oral Surgeon to diagnose, support, and train practitioners who wish to learn how to place dental implants.

Dr. Nathan Faber

Dr. Michael Fioritto

Education: Georgetown University, BS 1998, and Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry, DDS 2002

Post Graduate Education:

Miami Valley Hospital (Dayton, OH) IV Sedation Course - 2004

Midwest Implant Institute – Completion of Externship 2005

American Academy of Implant Dentistry – Completed Georgia Maxicourse 2011

Professional Licenses:

Ohio, Dental License - 2002 to Present

Ohio, IV Sedation Certificate – 2005 to Present

Clinical Experience:

Fioritto Family Dental (Mentor) – 2002 to Present

Fioritto Family Dental (Concord) – 2016 to Present

Clinical Practice limited to Implantology – 2016 to Present

Certificates and Awards:

American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Associate Fellow – 2012
Fellow – 2014
Honored Fellow – 2019
American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry
Diplomate – 2013
International Congress of Oral Implantologists
Fellow – 2014
Basic Life Support – Current
Advanced Cardiac Life Support - Current

Professional Organizations/Memberships:

American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Central District Secretary/Treasurer/Vice President/President-Elect/President – 2015-2019
Admissions and Credential Board Member/Examiner – 2015-2023
Admissions and Credential Board Chair – 2019-2023
Central District Trustee - 2024
Test Construction Committee Member
Education Oversight Committee Member – 2023 to Present
Legal Oversight Committee Member – 2024
ACE Committee Member – 2023 to Present
American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry
American Dental Association
Ohio Dental Association
Academy of General Dentistry
Cleveland Academy for Advanced Dental Education

Teaching/Lecturing:

Cleveland Implant Institute – Director
Implant Rockstars – Director
Washington DC Maxicourse – Guest Lecturer
Case Western Reserve University – Guest Lecturer
Central District Meeting – Main Podium Speaker 2021
Western District Meeting - Main Podium Speaker 2022

Volunteering:

Remote Area Medical – non-profit provider of mobile medical clinics

Dr. Dennis Flanagan

Dr. Dennis Flanagan is the former managing partner of a two-location private general dental group practice with 37 employees servicing 15,000 patients. He now practices full time in Connecticut. He is a diplomate of the American Board of General Dentistry, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry. Dr. Flanagan is an Attending Dentist for the US Olympic Committee and formerly at the Windham Community Memorial Hospital where he was Chief of Dentistry for more than 8 years. Dr. Flanagan has published over 140 articles in dentistry and holds 8 U.S. patents on medical and dental devices. He has made multiple presentations at national and international dental conferences. Dr. Flanagan is an Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Diplomate/Fellow of the Academy of Osseointegration, and American Board of Forensic Dentistry. He was awarded the AAID Lew Research award. He is on the editorial board/reviewer of several dental journals. He is a former editorial consultant to the Academy of Osseointegration, and former editor for Oakstone Medical publishing. He is/was an examining board member of the American Board of General Dentistry and American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry and an examiner for the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He is a senior associate editor for the Journal of Oral Implantology. He is the editor of the quarterly AAID News. He is a Georgetown University School of Dentistry (DDS) graduate. He has studied oral implantology at Harvard University Dental School (certificate) and at the Goethe Medical University, Frankfurt Germany (MSc). He is a tenured associate professor in dental medicine at Lugano University of Switzerland Malta and an adjunct professor Clinical Site Director, Jacksonville University. Dr. Flanagan has surgically placed and restored more than 13,000 dental implants.

Dr. Frederick Joubert

With 30 years of experience as a general dentist in New York and North Carolina, Dr. Frederick Joubert is a distinguished clinician with a passion for excellence and lifelong learning. He attended the State of New York School at Albany, graduating with a Bachelor in Science, and went on to obtain his DDS degree from Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine in 1985. After completing a residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1986, Dr. Joubert opened a clinic in Ossining, NY. He enjoyed treating patients for 17 years until he and his family moved to the Carolinas.

His passion for complex esthetic reconstructions and full-arch implant rehabilitation led him to open the Arboretum Center for Dentistry in Charlotte, NC in 2016, where he is committed to providing excellent dental care. Dr. Joubert’s private practice focuses on tooth extractions, dental implants, regenerative procedures, aesthetic restorative dentistry, facial aesthetics, sedation, and comprehensive general dentistry. He founded Insight Dental Institute in 2023, which provides continued education through hands-on surgeries on live patients, workshops on implant placement techniques, and integrating innovative practices safely and reliably. Dr. Joubert continually enhances his expertise through advanced courses and active involvement in leading dental organizations such as Advanced Dental Implant Studies (ADIS) in Atlanta, GA under the mentorship of esteemed Dr. Edward Mills. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) and the American Academy for Oral & Systemic Health (AAOSH).

Dr. Robert Heller

Dr. Robert Heller completed his undergraduate education at Ohio Wesleyan, where he received a BA in Biology. He earned his DDS in 1988 from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Dr. Heller then continued with his prosthodontic residency at The Medical College of Virginia (1990) and completed his hospital-based implant residency/graduate training at Loma Linda University (1997). He served as President of the Ohio Section of the American College of Prosthodontists and Chairman for the Ohio Dental Association's Subcouncil on Young Dentists. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), a staff member at Grady Memorial Hospital, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbus Dental Society. Dr. Heller is an active member of The American Dental Association, Ohio Dental Association, Columbus Dental Society, and American College of Prosthodontists. He has published multiple articles and continually presents lectures on a national level. Dr. Heller currently serves as Director of the Midwest Implant Institute (MII). The Midwest Implant Institute helped seven Dental Schools develop their dental implant program and has taught thousands of doctors to become dental implant surgeons. Dr. Heller has trained these doctors in the hands-on externship of the Midwest Implant Institute. Since 1997, he has taught and surgically performed numerous courses ranging from implant placement to advanced bone grafting, lateral nerve repositioning, sinus elevation, and numerous other surgical procedures. He continues to lecture on a national scale for multiple organizations, including the AAID.

Dr. Christopher Hughes

Dr. Christopher Hughes graduated with a degree in biology and a minor in Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1984. He then attended Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton, Illinois, and received his DMD in 1989. He subsequently traveled to Vermont to work as an associate and then returned to his hometown of Herrin, Illinois to begin his practice in 1991. Throughout the 1990s, Dr. Hughes advanced his studies in cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, completing continuum courses at the Pankey Institute (Key Biscayne, FL) and the Dawson Academy (St. Petersburg, FL). He became a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 1999. He recognized the need to incorporate dental implant surgery into his practice and began placing implants in 2002. He then completed implant training at the NYU Maxicourse and further advanced his skills under the direct mentorship of Dr. Hilt Tatum at the Puerto Rico Maxicourse. He completed his IV sedation training and certification from the University of Alabama Birmingham in 2006. Dr. Hughes has contributed articles to Dental Economics Magazine and was featured on the cover of that publication in November 2008. Dr. Hughes is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. He is a Fellow and Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) and has served as an examiner for the AAID Associate Fellow and Fellow examinations. He became a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry in 2013. Dr. Hughes has also been involved in leadership positions. He is past president of the AAID central district and served four years as a trustee on the board of directors for the AAID. He also is past president of the Southern Illinois Dental Society and served as a delegate to the Illinois State Dental Society.

Dr. Joseph Lau

Dr. William Liang

Dr. Liang, a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI), attended the University of British Columbia and received his Bachelor's degree in Microbiology in 1981 and his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 1983. At graduation, he was awarded the Canadian Oral and Maxillofacial Prize for the highest standing in the area of Oral Surgery. His credentials include Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantology (ICOI), Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), Honored Fellow of The AAID, and Diplomate Credentialed of The American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry. Dr. Liang is also recognized as Past President of The AAID – Western District, serves on the Admissions committee of the U.B.C. Faculty of Dentistry, is President of the Academy of R.V. Tucker Study Clubs, a part-time member of the Faculty of Dentistry at U.B.C. in restorative dentistry, President of the White Rock/Peace Arch Rotary Club, a recipient of the CDSBC Award of Distinction and CDSBC Award of Merit, Director of the Canadian Dental Implant Training Centre, and Director of the AAID Vancouver MaxiCourse, a UBC Continuing Dental Education program. Dr. Liang’s private practice focuses on dental implants, denture stabilization, dental implant maintenance, aesthetic restorative dentistry, laser gum therapy, sedation, tooth extractions, bone reconstruction, soft tissue surgery, and general dentistry.

Dr. Donn Mettens

Dr. John C. Minichetti

Dr. John C. Minichetti, a General Dentist, is the Director of Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry of Englewood. He has years of experience in cosmetic dentistry, implantology, and prosthetic reconstruction. Dr. Minichetti graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he finished first in his class. He then completed a postdoctoral specialized training program at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including those for oral medicine, pharmacology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Minichetti has published many scientific articles and has received his fellowship in several academics. He is an attending of Englewood Hospital and Jersey City Medical Center. He has also been an attending on staff at Englewood Hospital for over 20 years. Besides his outstanding academic and clinical skills, Dr. Minichetti is committed to his practice and patients foremost. Dr. Minichetti is affiliated with several associations, including the Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, Fellow of the Int’l Congress of Oral Implantology (ICOI), Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology (ABOI), Fellow of the Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), Fellow of the Int’l Academy for Implant Dental Facial Esthetics, President of the Bergen County Dental Implant Group, American Dental Association, New Jersey State Dental Association, and Past President of AAID.

Dr. Justin Moody

Founder of New Horizon Institute & Director of The Pathway

Meet Dr. Justin Moody, a leading entrepreneur, educator, speaker, and practitioner with over 24 years of experience in the dental industry. Since founding Implant Pathway in 2017, Dr. Moody has equipped 500+ dentists with the skills they need to transform their patients' lives with beautiful, functional implants.

Dr. Moody's implantology journey began in 1997 when he joined his childhood dental practice. As he began to treat patients, Dr. Moody realized that dentures, partials, and bridges were not the superior long-term solution for damaged teeth. It was implants that offered far greater healing, aesthetics, convenience, and permanence for patients.

As he practiced, Dr. Moody recognized the implantology field had two significant problems:

Few dentists were properly trained in implant dentistry
Not everyone who needed implants could afford private practice fees

Over the past two decades, Dr. Moody has offered a solution for these two problems through New Horizon Institute and Implant Pathway. Both institutions work in tandem by empowering dentists with new implantology skills and restoring smiles to qualifying patients in need.

Even during his free time, Dr. Moody is educating dentists and enhancing smiles. He co-hosts Dentists, Implants & Worms, one of the implant industry's leading podcasts, and places implants at his own private practice in Crawford, Nebraska. In addition, Dr. Moody's Implant Pathway Study Club presents live implant case reviews each week, allowing doctors to share their own cases and continue to grow as practitioners.

Dr. Josh Muir

Dr. Corey Raymond

Dr. Pierre Tedders

Dr. Doug Wirth

Dr. Doug Wirth attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia for his undergraduate studies and attended Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA, earning his Doctorate of Dental Medicine degree in 1979. Since opening his private practice, Dr. Wirth has continued to advance his training in dentistry by completing extended education programs in endodontics, oral implantology, smile design, cosmetic dentistry, and CEREC® crown technology. Each year, he regularly attends classes to stay on top of new technology and techniques, ultimately bringing these benefits to his patients at Whidbey Dental Associates. Dr. Wirth’s professional affiliations include the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), Associate Fellow; International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI), Fellow; Academy of Osseointegration; American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry; American Dental Association; and Washington State Dental Association.

Adjunct Faculty

Listed alphabetically.

Dr. Vinamra Bhasin

Vinamra Bhasin, B.D.S., D.M.D., M.H.S. is an Oral Implantologist and Board-Certified Periodontist. He graduated from Government Dental College in Mumbai, India in 1998 and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery (BDS). He then completed a one-year internship in Mumbai and moved to the U.S. in 1999. He enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine to obtain his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) to practice in the U.S. In both dental schools, he ranked #1 in his class. He then completed a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry for children and adults who had cleft or other growth deformities. Upon completing his program at the cleft palate clinic, he practiced general dentistry for one year. During this year, he applied for and was accepted for a three-year residency in Dental implants and Periodontics at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He was selected as Chief Resident and completed his residency in 2007 with a Master of Health Sciences (MHS) degree. In 2007, he joined Central Georgia Periodontics and Dental Implants in Warner Robins, GA. His former partner in practice, Dr. Russell Eyman, was an early adopter of dental implants and had been placing them for over 15 years. Dr. Bhasin practices clinical dentistry full-time and has placed over 10,000 dental implants. Dr. Bhasin offers cutting-edge dental treatments and procedures that almost no other dentists in the area perform, including Teeth in One Day, LANAP®, and the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique. Dr. Bhasin is a member of many prestigious dental organizations, including the American Academy of Periodontology, Southern Academy of Periodontology, American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Academy of Osseointegration, American Dental Association, and Georgia Dental Association.

Dr. Mike Calderon

D.A.B.O.I., D.I.C.O.I. Founder – Instructor

After receiving his DDS Degree from the Dental School of Case Western Reserve Ohio in 1994, he moved back to Brooklyn, New York. He worked at a General Practice Residency at Kings County Hospital between 1994 to 1999. Dr. Calderón completed a 2-year program at the United States Dental Institute, where he received his certification in orthodontics. Dr. Mike Calderón also completed 2 years at New York University as an Implant Resident.

He has an extensive education and experience in implant dentistry, having placed more than 10,000 implants. He established his private practice in West Islip, New York where he provides both advanced surgical and prosthetic phases of implant dentistry for his patients.

Dr. Mike E. Calderón lectures nationally and internationally on implant-related topics. Dr. Mike E. Calderón is the founder of Calderón Institute. He is a member of the following:

Academy of General Dentistry (AGD)
Academy of Osseointegration (AO)
American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID)
Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantology (DICOI)
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology (DABOI)

“Father to 5 daughters and happily married for 20 years. Implant Mike resides in Oceanside, NY”