The Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) is pleased to announce that Dr. N. Shaun Matthews, BDS, FDS, MBBS, FRCS (OMFS), has been appointed as the inaugural Dr. Charles E. Tomich Endowed Professor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
“Dr. Tomich’s impact as a specialist, teacher, and scholar in oral and maxillofacial pathology have made an indelible impact on the profession and the patients we serve,” said IUSD Dean Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch. “As one of his residents, we learned oral pathology, but we learned so much more — the importance of being committed to the patient, striving for excellence, being curious, and holding oneself to the highest standards in the service of others as health professionals. He produced a generation of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Indiana who were trained by the best, and so have been able to deliver the best care in their communities.
“With this endowed professorship, Dr. Tomich’s legacy of excellence in teaching and scholarship in oral and maxillofacial pathology will endure.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Tomich was devoted to advancing the profession, serving as an oral pathology adviser and consultant to the American Dental Association and holding leadership positions in both the American Academy and the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.
Dr. Tomich dedicated 32 years to teaching at IUSD. He was named professor emeritus when he retired in 2001. He earned his DDS from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1961. His journey at IUSD began in 1966 when he began specialty training in oral pathology at the dental school. Following graduation, Professor William Shafer offered Dr. Tomich a faculty position.
Over three decades at IUSD, Dr. Tomich was honored with 25 teaching awards, including the Amoco Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award, the Distinguished Alumnus and Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards from the IUSD Alumni Association, and the Indiana Dental Association IUSD Pursuit of Excellence Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.
“I am greatly honored to have a professorship in my name in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at IU,” Dr. Tomich said. “Much gratitude must go to Dr. Jeff Bennett, who initiated this honor many years ago. Indeed, abundant gratitude goes to the numerous contributors who funded the effort. Jeff provided the ‘yeast;’ they provided the ‘dough.’”
Dr. Tomich added, “I am so pleased that Dr. Shaun Matthews is the inaugural recipient of this professorship. I consider it an honor to us both.”
Dr. Matthews is a renowned oral and maxillofacial surgeon specializing in the transformative surgical treatment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ/jaw joint), pathology, orthognathic surgery, and the repair of maxillofacial trauma.
In 2020, he joined IUSD as a clinical professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Since then, he has assumed key leadership roles at the dental school, including director of the TMJ Institute, chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry, and associate dean for hospital affairs.
Dr. Matthews earned his dental and medical degrees from the University of Dundee, Scotland and University of London, England, respectively, and completed his oral and maxillofacial training at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He holds dual fellowships at both the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His professional experience spans academic institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, including roles at Charing Cross Hospital and King’s College Hospital in London and the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill.
Dr. Matthews’ work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards and scholarships, including the ADEA Leadership Institute Alumni Association Award to Honor Jack Bresch; the ADEA Council of Deans Fellowship Program Scholarship, Medical Honoree of the Arthritis Foundation in Indiana and North Carolina; Golden Jubilee Award presented by the Barbados government in recognition of his service in medicine and surgery to the people of Barbados and the United Kingdom; ADEA/AAL Scholarship for Professional Development in the Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program; and London Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Trainer of the Year.
“It is truly an honor to be named the inaugural Charles E. Tomich Endowed Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,” Dr. Matthews said. “Dr. Tomich could bring out the best in his students and have them recognize that learning is a lifelong process. I hope that I have been able to emulate some of the important values that he demonstrated. I will use the professorship to further the educational and clinical mission of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry.”