From CWRU to the AAOMS Board: A Conversation with Alum Martin Eichner, DDS

For Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine alumnus Martin Eichner, DDS (DEN ‘83), the path from the university’s six-year combined undergraduate dental school program to a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery has been defined by dedication to both clinical practice and professional advocacy. After finishing his residency at the University of Pittsburgh and Montefiore Hospital, he joined Pittsburgh Oral Surgery in 1987 and has been a fixture there ever since, nearly four decades later.

Many know Dr. Eichner as a talented oral and maxillofacial surgeon and longtime faculty member at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Beyond the operating room, he’s also made a big impact nationwide. He now serves as the District II Representative on the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Board of Trustees, an 11-member body alongside fellow School of Dental Medicine alum Gregory Ness, DDS (DEN ‘88). Before joining the Board of Trustees, he served as a delegate and chair of the Committee on Emerging Practice Models. Dr. Eichner is currently a candidate for AAOMS Vice President, with the election in September at the AAOMS annual meeting in Seattle. Whether working locally or nationally, his leadership always puts surgeons and patients first in policy decisions.

To learn more about his journey, we sat down with Dr. Eichner to discuss the faculty who shaped his path, advancements in the field and the hobby he’s loved since childhood.
 

1. How did your time at CWRU shape your career trajectory?

"Looking back to the early 1980s, I really didn't appreciate how dedicated the faculty were. I think most of us just wanted to learn the material, hone our skills, and graduate into the real world. We didn't realize at that time how talented and knowledgeable they were, and how much effort and preparation they put into teaching us in the lecture halls, pre-clinic and clinic.

I have been working with oral surgery, pediatric dental and dental anesthesia residents at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for the past 39 years. Believe me, it takes a lot of work and dedication to always be on your game and prepared to answer all their questions. While I don’t want to slight anyone by name, many of those CWRU faculty members helped shape who I am as both a clinician and an educator."

2. Beyond titles and accolades, what does a "meaningful career" look like to you?

"The best reward of being an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is hearing people say 'thank you.' That is better than any monetary fee that you can ever collect. Many people do not want to walk into the OMS office. But after the visit, the 'thank you' is the best feeling.

Additionally, a dentist's good reputation in the community is priceless. When you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, and when you put your head on your pillow at night, knowing you did the 'right thing' to the best of your ability—that cements your reputation as a pillar of your professional and local community."

3. What shift in your specialty excites you most for the next decade?

"The recent advances in imaging, computerized treatment planning, and AI were unimaginable in the early 1980s. Imagine what our profession will have at its disposal another 40 years from now. But even with all types of technology and other advancements, we must remember the bottom line is that we are humans dealing with humans."

4. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

"I would tell all first-year dental students: treat your patients how you would like to be treated. Learn something special about them. Make small talk to put them at ease. Let them talk about themselves. There is a person attached to that mouth."

5. What is something about your life outside dentistry that might surprise your former classmates?

"I have been an autograph collector my entire life. As a little kid growing up in Akron, Ohio, I traveled with my dad to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies in Canton in the early 1970s to collect autographs. (It was much easier and not commercialized back then.) To this day, I still enjoy purchasing autographs and memorabilia at numerous charity auctions."