TEAM
Our five pathologists are Diplomates of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and provide diagnoses for common and complex oral diseases, including periodontal inflammation, odontogenic lesions, benign and malignant tumors of the oral and maxillofacial region, salivary gland tumors, autoimmune conditions involving the oral cavity, and complex oral manifestation of systemic diseases.
Theodora Danciu, DMD, DMSc
Director
Dr. Danciu is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and a consultant for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. She graduated with a BA in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley after which she completed her DMD at Harvard University. She continued her training at Harvard where she obtained a Doctor of Medical Sciences degree as well as a certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. After two years as Instructor at Harvard, she joined the University of Michigan in 2007. Dr. Danciu is the recipient of numerous teaching awards both at Harvard and University of Michigan and research awards including the National Research Service Award and the National Institute of Health Transition Career Development Award. She currently serves on several committees at the School of Dentistry, American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, American Dental Association and American Association for Dental Research.
Nisha D'Silva, BDS, MSD, PhD
Dr. D’Silva is an oral pathologist, cancer biologist, and educator. She is Associate Chair in the department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine. Dr. D’Silva is the Donald Kerr Endowed Collegiate Professor of Oral Pathology and Professor of Dentistry at the University of Michigan. She is also Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School and a member of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research in head and neck cancer focuses on biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression and treatment resistance. She has published over 70 scientific papers; her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her work has been recognized by several awards including the Rod Cawson Prize from the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She also received the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor award and the University of Michigan Crosby Award for women in science and engineering. Dr. D’Silva received her dental degree at the University of Bombay, India, followed by a Residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Master’s degree at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She received her PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Yu Leo Lei, DDS, PhD
Dr. Lei is an Assistant Professor of Dentistry at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He holds joint appointments with the Graduate Program in Immunology, Translational Oncology Program, U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Michigan Medical School. He serves on the editorial board of a number of journals, including Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology. He has also served on the Nomination Committee of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Dr. Lei completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), following his PhD training at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then completed a Head and Neck Oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Lei was a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Lei is has received well-respected clinical and translational research awards, including the Leon Barnes award for Head and Neck Pathology research from the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. He is the principal investigator of a translational immunology research laboratory.
Peter J. Polverini, DDS, DMSc
Dr. Polverini is the Jonathan Taft Distinguished University Professor of Dentistry and dean emeritus, University of Michigan Dental School and Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Polverini holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a DDS from Marquette University. He completed specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and was awarded the Doctor of Medical Sciences degree from Harvard University. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota where he served as professor and dean of the School of Dentistry.
Dr. Polverini has a distinguished scientific career in the field of vascular and cancer biology where he has long been a leader and influential figure. More recently, he has focused his attention on the educational and workforce implications of new integrated care delivery models and healthcare policy implications of the emerging personalized healthcare environment.
Dr. Polverini is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Medicine and Pathology from the International Association for Dental Research, the Birnberg Research Medal Award for Excellence in Dental Research from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Marquette University School of Dentistry, the William J Gies Award for Vision by a Dental Educator from the American Dental Education Association Gies Foundation, and past President of the American Association for Dental Research. Dr. Polverini is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Felipe Nor, DDS, MS, PhD, Dip. ABOMP
Dr. Nor is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Dr. Nor earned his DDS degree and PhD in Oral Pathology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil. After working seven years as a dentist in private practice in Brazil, Dr. Nor joined the University of Iowa College of Dentistry where he completed the Masters in Oral Sciences program as well as the Certificate and Fellowship in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Dr. Nor is a reviewer of several scientific journals in the field of dentistry, dental hygiene, and pathology, and serves as guest editor on a Special Research Topic at Frontiers in Oral Health. His primary research interests include the evaluation of markers for the diagnosis of salivary gland tumors and the therapeutic effect of small molecule inhibitors in pre-clinical models of head and neck cancer. Dr. Nor is an active member of the University of Michigan Oral and Maxillofacial Biopsy Service.
