Peter Nordland DMD, MS earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Wilkes University, Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania, and his Doctorate in Dental Medicine at Temple University in 1979. Dr. Nordland then completed a General Practice Residency at the Gerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital and the Loma Linda University Medical Center. Dr. Nordland enrolled in a heavily research biased master’s Periodontal Residency Program under Dr. Jan Egelberg. Upon entering private practice Dr. Nordland utilized his Loma Linda research and combined it with surgical knowledge to develop a new regenerative surgical procedure which he termed “The Connective Tissue Graft”. Dr. Nordland presented his novel surgical procedure to the Western Society of Periodontology and was soon presenting his new surgical procedure across the United States for nearly every dental school. As the popularity and success of the surgical technique grew, Dr. Nordland was asked to present his techniques for the American Academy of Periodontology and connected with Dr. P.D. Miller who was pursuing the predictability of root coverage. They met, compared surgical ideas, and decided to meet at every AAP meeting to continue to share ideas. Dr. Miller brought in a friend, Dr. Pat Allen who was also interested in soft tissue regenerative procedures. In 1987 the three decided to create an annual study group and invited colleagues who were interested and had also published on soft tissue regeneration. This elite group grew in popularity and invited colleagues from around the world to present new ideas for the purpose of group sharing and learning. Dr. Nordland wished to call the organization The International Society of Oral Plastic Surgeons whereas Dr. Miller favored Periodontal Plastic Surgeons. The name was changed to the International Society of Periodontal Plastic Surgeons and was led by Dr. Nordland for close to 30 years.
Dr. Nordland has continued to develop new instruments for microsurgery, publish original papers on Oral Plastic Surgery and has now taught in North, South and Central Americas, Asia, India, and Europe. Dr. Nordland has been on the editorial boards of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and The International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry. Dr. Nordland taught hands-on “Periodontal Plastic Microsurgical” Courses for 19 years at the Newport Coast Oral-Facial Institute and has been an Associate Professor of Periodontics at Loma Linda University for over 25 years. Most recently Dr. Nordland has written the chapter on “Periodontal Plastic Surgery” for the 5th Edition of Dr. Goldstein’s textbook Esthetics in Dentistry. Dr Nordland is on the Executive Council of the Western Society of Periodontology and the prestigious American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and will be president of the AAED in 5 years.
Dr. Kumar received his DMD degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and completed advanced specialty training in periodontics, dental implant surgery, oral medicine, temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and orofacial pain at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California. He is a board-certified specialist and Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, the American Board of Oral Medicine, and the American Board of Orofacial Pain. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Dentists. Dr. Kumar practices at Arrowhead Periodontics & Dental Implants in Glendale, Arizona.
In addition to patient care, he is active in teaching and research and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the USC Ostrow School of Dentistry and the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health at A.T. Still University. His commitment to education and research has been recognized with numerous honors, including the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation’s Educator Scholarship, the AAP’s Balint Orban Memorial Award for Clinical Research, and the American Academy of Oral Medicine’s Lester Burket Memorial Award. His academic work includes more than 75 publications, including original articles, reviews, critical summaries, and book chapters, and he serves as a peer reviewer for high-impact scientific journals in dentistry and medicine.
He is a frequently invited speaker and provides continuing education nationwide on topics including periodontal regeneration, oral-systemic health connections, peri-implant diseases, oral cancer, and oral medicine. Dr. Kumar is also active in many professional organizations and serves on numerous committees at the state and national levels.
Outside of dentistry, Dr. Kumar enjoys books, music, and movies, and he loves playing tennis, spending time with his family, and traveling.
Dr. Bobby Birdi received his DMD with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan and his post-graduate specialty training in periodontics and prosthodontics from the University of Minnesota. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and the American Board of Prosthodontics.
Dr. Birdi is one of the few board-certified dual specialists in periodontics and prosthodontics in North America, and the first and only specialist in the world to attain board certification in these two specialties in both the USA and Canada.
Dr. Birdi is a reviewer for numerous leading journals and has recently been appointed to the board of The Journal of Clinical and Practical Oral Implantology.
He has academic affiliations at the University of British Columbia and the University of Minnesota, and also lectures nationally and internationally in the fields of implant surgery, prosthetics and dental esthetics.
Dr. Birdi is the co-founder of the Digital Dentistry Institute, one of the largest dental educational organizations in Canada, and maintains a private practice in Vancouver dedicated to comprehensive periodontal and prosthetic treatment with a major focus on esthetics and implant dentistry.
Dr. Doshi is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. She received her masters and certificate in Periodontics from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and is currently the Director of Periodontics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She also works as a part-time associate at two practices in Vancouver, BC.
Dr. Doshi’s commitment to advancing periodontal education has been recognized by national and international organizations. She is a recipient of the AAP Foundation’s prestigious Dr. Walter Cohen Teaching Award, as well as the AAP’s Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics Award in both 2020 and 2024. Most recently, she received the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry W.W. Wood Award for Excellence in Dental Education, along with student-nominated teaching excellence awards at UBC for the past three years.
Dr. Doshi remains actively engaged in organized dentistry, and in addition to her involvement in WSP, she has served as a section officer for ADEA’s section on Periodontics, concluding her term as Section Chair in 2024. She is an elected active member of the AAP Education and In-service exam committees.
Dr Horrocks graduated from the College of Dentistry at the University of Oklahoma and spent four years with the Indian Health Service as a general dentist. He completed his specialty training in Periodontology in the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the founder of Boulder Periodontics, he has a passion for delivering a world-class patient experience with expert clinical care. He is a key opinion leader for a variety of dental surgical companies. As a writer, his work has been published in the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry, he has contributed to a chapter in Piezosurgery® Assisted Ridge Expansion (Quintessence), and also a chapter in Minimally Invasive Dental and Implant Surgery (by Wiley Blackwell). As an educator, he has served as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and lectures around the world on Advanced Piezosurgery® and Controlled Assisted Ridge Expansion.
Raised in a travelling military family, Dr Horrocks graduated high school in Germany and achieved the level of Eagle Scout. He successfully completed the Leadville 100 mountain bike race and also enjoys fly-fishing, skiing, golf, and raising his three teenage boys.
Dr. Katie Martin
Dr. Thomas Baker
Dr. Deborah Ruprecht
Dr. Giles Horrocks
Susan Wingrove, BS, RDH
Dr. Homa Zadeh
Dr. Thomas J. Kepic
Dr. Laurence S. Ambrose