Maxillofacial Prosthodontist Soars With ADEA and W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The career advancement of Major Bryan A. Williams, D.D.S., M.S., is truly a success story that proves the value of personal motivation, academic career support and multiple mentors.

Dr. Williams is a product of the Detroit Public Schools system. His older brother, Travis, served as his first role model and contributed to his artistic skills and appreciation for form and structure. His manual dexterity was realized early in woodshop activities at the Boys and Girls Club of America. 

Dr. Williams’ mentoring skills were developed during his participation in the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s Gateway Future Faculty Organization Program, which was supported by the MDFD I grant.  His mentors were willing advocates and enthusiastic counselors who provided assistance in important academic and administrative negotiations. Dr. Williams is grateful for the encouragement and access to resources that Patty Katcher, Kenneth May, D.D.S., M.S., and Lee Jones, D.D.S., gave him, but he is especially appreciative of their availability to help and advise him. His own mentoring style owes much to these role models and their input and encouragement. 

The financial support of the MDFD grant also relieved the burden of Dr. William’s student loans, allowing him to complete his M.S. in Maxillofacial Prosthodontics in 2009. This training enabled him to embark on a military career involving both teaching and research. Dr. Williams is currently the Prosthodontics Training Officer at Wright Patterson Air Base in Dayton, OH, where he trains and mentors dental assistants and other recruits. Dr. Williams also helps younger service men and women take advantage of career development and educational opportunities available through the GI Bill. He is now engaged in cutting edge research on auditory conduction through bone in pilots’ implants with the goal that dental implants could someday facilitate hearing. 

Dr. Williams is dedicated to advancing the specialty of prosthodontics, and feels privileged to serve his country and to use his knowledge for the development of compassionate and knowledgeable dental professionals. While he has a great future in the U.S. Air Force, he expects to eventually return to his academic career. “The MDFD grant provided me the opportunity to grow as a junior faculty member,” says Dr. Williams. Because of his clinical specialty in prosthodontics, he will be a valued resource to academic programs throughout the United States, especially as the population ages. 

This article was first published in the June 2015 edition of the ADEA  Bulletin of Dental Education.