Meet Our Newest Faculty

On January 27th, Dr. Ko joined the college as Chair of the Division of Orthodontics. His education includes a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan, and a Master of Science degree in bioengineering at Taiwan’s National Yang-Ming University. He also completed a PhD in bioengineering and biomaterials at the University of Michigan, after which he earned a certificate in orthodontics from the University of Minnesota.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ko has held faculty and research-related positions in biomedical engineering at the National Yang-Ming University and in the Department of Biological and Materials Science at the University of Michigan. He was also a research associate and an assistant professor in the Department of Oral Science at the University of Minnesota’s School of Dentistry. In 2006, he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill, where he served in the Department of Orthodontics as an associate professor, a full professor, a program director, and the department’s vice chair. In 2017, he was appointed as Chair of the Department of Orthodontics.

Dr. Ko maintains an active research program focused on bone diseases that affect dental health; biomaterials for bone cell regeneration; biomimetic bone cements for dental implants; and nanocomposite scaffolds for TMJ-related tissue engineering. His work has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, as well as numerous other philanthropic and corporate organizations, and he has published more than 125 scholarly articles related to his findings. Dr. Ko is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and he has received numerous honors that include distinguished alumni awards and three Faculty Member of the Year awards from the Department of Orthodontics at UNC’s School of Dentistry. ■

Dr. Peters joined the college faculty on March 1st as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biosciences. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from the Florida Institute of Technology, after which she completed a Master of Science degree in atmospheric science at the State University (SUNY) of New York at Albany. Continuing her professional education at SUNY, she earned a PhD in biology in 2014.

Prior to joining Ohio State’s faculty, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama, where her research was funded by a K99/R00 grant from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. That funding continues to support Dr. Peters’ examination of the mechanisms that regulate the stimulation of nerves in the dental pulp that then send signals to the brain. Her other research interests include the development and regeneration of the tooth, mandible, and long bone; and the study of mouse submandibular salivary gland development and branching morphogenesis and differentiation.

As a member of the college faculty, Dr. Peters conducts research and contributes to the didactic teaching responsibilities of the Division of Biosciences. She also supports curriculum development to ensure the highest quality of educational experiences for pre-doctoral students. ■

An alumnus of Ohio State’s College of Dentistry, Dr. Meyer joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry on July 1st. After receiving his DDS degree from the college, he completed a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree and earned his certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. His professional experience includes serving as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry at Ohio State, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at UNC. Dr. Meyer’s research interests focus on the management of oral diseases in pediatric patients; diet and behavior as it impacts children’s oral health; and the use of hospital-based care to treat early childhood caries.

Since graduating from Ohio State in 2014, Dr. Meyer has received a number of honors and awards that include the Resident Recognition Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; the Graduate Student Research Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; the James Bawden Mentor Award from the North Carolina Section of the American Association for Dental Research; and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Meyer provides didactic and clinical instruction for pre-doctoral students and residents in the College of Dentistry and at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He also conducts research related to pediatric dentistry and oral health as an aspect of public health. ■

On July 1st, Dr. Kaspar joined the college as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biosciences. After earning a B.S. degree in microbiology from Texas A&M University, he completed a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in 2016. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Oral Biology at the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry, where he conducted research funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Dr. Kaspar’s early research projects investigated bacterial communication in the caries-causing microbe Streptococcus mutans, and the ways that environmental perturbations and intermicrobial interactions within oral biofilms can impact the pathogen’s ability to survive and persist. His current research is focused on specific gene expression patterns displayed by Streptococcus mutans in response to competition by health-associated commensal streptococci within the oral cavity. In addition, he is examining new mechanisms by which oral bacteria “fight back” against their disease-causing rivals. His work seeks to determine new pathways that could serve as targets for therapeutic interventions that selectively remove pathogens like Streptococcus mutans from the oral cavity, while keeping the normal, healthy microbiome intact.

As a member of the college faculty, Dr. Kaspar conducts research, contributes to the division’s didactic teaching responsibilities, and he supports curriculum development to ensure the highest quality of educational experiences for pre-doctoral students. ■

Dr. Robert Busto joined the college faculty on July 1st as an Assistant Professor-Clinical in the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Anesthesiology. He earned his DMD degree from Tufts University’s School of Dental Medicine, after which he completed a General Practice Residency program at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and an MBA from Florida International University. In 2017, Dr. Busto enrolled in Ohio State’s dental anesthesiology advanced education program in the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Anesthesiology. He was awarded a Master of Science in Dentistry degree and a dental anesthesiology certificate this year.

Dr. Busto’s professional experience includes serving for more than a decade as a general dental practitioner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a dental anesthesiology resident in the College of Dentistry, he has taught courses in cardiopulmonary physiology, airway management, and anesthesiology. His responsibilities as a faculty member include providing anesthesiology support for clinical operations in the college, in addition to providing anesthesiology services in the Department of Anesthesiology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. ■

On August 12, Dr. Nowlin joined the college as an Assistant Professor-Clinical in the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and her DMD degree from the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry. After obtaining her credentials at the Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada, she moved to Okinawa, Japan, where she served as a Hospital Dentist at the U.S. Naval Hospital, providing general dentistry services, and managing continuous improvement initiatives and staff training programs.

Following her return to the U.S., Dr. Nowlin joined the Naval Ambulatory Care Center in New Orleans, where she was the Medical and Dental Clinic Manager and leader of the facility that provided outpatient, wellness, and dental services for staff at the Naval and Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters. Continuing in that role throughout the events related to Hurricane Katrina, she left the Navy in 2006 and became a private dental practitioner in New Orleans.

Dr. Nowlin later returned to Okinawa as an Air Force Dental Officer in the 18th Dental Squadron, where she managed patient administration, supplies, staff training, and infection prevention programs. She also served as a General Dentist for the 6th Dental Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, providing patient safety training and overseeing clinic support teams. Prior to joining Ohio State, she was a General Dentist at the Pentagon Tri-Service Dental Clinic in Washington, D.C.

Throughout her career, Dr. Nowlin’s expertise has focused on program development and management, staff training and education, and providing comprehensive dental care. As a faculty member, she provides didactic, clinical, and laboratory instruction for predoctoral students, and academic guidance and clinical supervision for dental student groups. ■

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