Faculty & their specialties

The center's faculty members are
specialists in pain management,
originating from across the dental
and medical spectrum.
Following is a staff directory,
alphabetized by and
within area of specialty:

Acupuncture

James Dillard, DC, MD, LAC

Anesthesiology

William Schechter, MS, MD
Michael Weinberger, MD

Behavioral Psychology

Nomita Sonty, PhD

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Complementary and Alternative Medicine

James Dillard, MD, DC
Fredi Kronenberg, PhD
Constance Park, MD, PhD

Dentistry

Gregory Bunza, DDS, MS,
Dory Calev, DDS
Gunnar Hasselgren, DDS, PhD
Ronnie Meyers, DDS
Steven Syrop, DDS

Endocrinology

Constance Park, MD, PhD

Endodontics

Dory Calev, DDS
Gunnar Hasselgren, DDS, PhD

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Headache

Mark W. Green, MD

Integrative Medicine

Traci Stein, MPH

Medical Psychology

Nomita Sonty, PhD

Medicine

Constance Park, MD, PhD

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Neurology

Casilda Balmaceda, MD

Neurological Surgery

Robert Goodman, MD, PhD

Ronald Brisman, MD

Neuroradiology

Robert DeLaPaz, MD

Ophthalmology

Martin Leib, MD

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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Sidney Eisig, DDS

Orofacial Pain

Joseph P. Fearon, DDS
Irving Kittay, DDS
Anthony LoPresti, DDS
Steven Syrop, DDS

Otolaryngology

Ian Storper, MD

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Pain Medicine

James Dillard, MD, DC
Howard Rosner, MS, MD
William Schechter, MS, MD
Michael Weinberger, MD

Pediatrics

William Schechter, MS, MD

Physical Therapy

Meralee Guhl, PT

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Psychiatry

Richard Hersh, MD
Mary Sciutto, MD

Rehabilitative Medicine

James Dillard, MD, DC

Temporomandibular Disorders

Sidney Eisig, DDS
Irving Kittay, DDS
Anthony LoPresti, DDS
Steven Syrop, DDS, MD

Jennifer P. Bassiur, DDS
Director
Diplomate, American Board of Orofacial Pain

The recently established Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain offers a unique, interdisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of acute and chronic oral, facial and head pain.

The center's mission is to provide the following: excellent, compassionate clinical care to individuals suffering from oral, facial or head pain; leadership in research to further our collective knowledge of pain mechanisms and treatment; and continuing education for health professionals, updating them on the latest advances and technologies for pain management.

The Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain is different from many other pain centers. Complex pain patients are often misdiagnosed, frustrated and frightened, going from one practitioner to another in search of pain relief. Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine now has a pain center designed especially to treat the whole patient and avoid fragmented care; eliminate multiple referrals to specialists at different locations; and coordinate comprehensive care via a single pain treatment plan, carried out at one location through state-of-the-art technology.

Core faculty members of the center who are given the resources and infrastructure to render efficient, consolidated services-include specialists from the world-renowned Columbia-Presbyterian and New York-Cornell Medical Centers of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked among U.S. News and World Report's -top- hospitals in the country.

Our pain center is designed to

• Treat the whole patient and avoid fragmented care
• Eliminate multiple referrals to specialists at different locations
• Offer a comprehensive evaluation and a coordinated management/treatment plan at one location with state-of-the-art technology
• Provide care by pain specialists who will communicate effectively with patients and their physicians
  

Conditions treated at the center

Doctors at the Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain evaluate and treat patients for a number of complex conditions, such as:

• Musculoskeletal disorders of the head, face and neck
• Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD)
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Cephalic/Cranial neuralgias
• Headache
• Burning mouth and tongue syndromes

How the center works

At the initial visit, the center's team of specialists provides a comprehensive patient evaluation. Following this, a conference is held to establish an appropriate diagnosis and to draw up an individualized pain management and treatment plan.

The cost of evaluation

The center runs on a fee-for-service basis. Most evaluations are partially covered by insurance carriers. Our administrative staff will be happy to assist patients in obtaining reimbursement.

Continuing Education Programs
We offer major symposia for health care professionals on such topics as

• Chronic Orofacial Pain
• Contemporary Headache Management

Referring physicians are invited to the Center to attend the combined patient conferences and may receive CME credit.