Lasting Impressions | Fall 2014

Because he’s a recent graduate of NSU he’s really easy to talk to and very approachable,’’ she added. “Dental school isn’t being taught the way it was 30 or 40 years ago,” Suri said. “Today’s techniques and materials are so different. His technology is up to date. It’s a refreshing change.” Students say that Portnof is still close enough to his own days as an NSU student that he understands what they’re going through. “If I’m having trouble studying for a particular midterm, I can go to him and ask if there was a strategy he used for that same class that helped him,” said Suri. “He’s like a mentor to me. I only hope to have his level of expertise at some time in my career.” Returning to the CDM has given Portnof the opportunity to again work with his own mentor, Steven Kaltman, D.M.D., chairman of the Depart- ment of Oral Surgery. “He [Kaltman] was doing state-of-the-art surgery when I was a student, and he encouraged my interest in oral surgery,” said Portnof. Now that he teaches, Portnof gives more credit to his mentor. “He gave me the opportunity to express what I know, what I have learned in my career.” When he’s not on campus, Portnof often is at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, where he’s a member of the cleft and craniofacial team. He may also be at Broward Health Medical Center or Memorial Regional Hospital. He also runs the Student Externship Program. It allows students from around the country who are interested in residencies and careers in oral and maxillofacial surgery to shadow CDM residents for up to four weeks. In addition, Portnof serves on the board of direc- tors of the Florida Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Associa- tion as Counselor for Dentistry and was appointed to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofa- cial Surgeons Committee on Cleft, Craniofacial, and Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He also was one of four recipients honored with the 2013 Faculty Educator Development Award from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- geons and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foun- dation. The award—in the form of a three-year, $130,000 grant—was established to encourage prom- ising, young oral and maxillofacial surgeons to choose an academic career. While he is kept more than busy, he still makes time for his growing family. He and his wife, Courtney, have two children—Justin, 4, a soccer player; and Liv, 15 months, who’s learning to walk. “I just hang out with the family: the beach, the park, and a lot of Baby Einstein. … On the weekends I drink a lot of coffee,” he said, with a laugh, admit- ting he has little time for outside interests or hobbies beyond “dad stuff.” Looking to the future, Portnof wants to create a fellowship at the College of Dental Medicine for craniomaxillofacial surgery. But he’s looking at the big picture. “I want to lead by example. I want to encourage students and residents to consider the best interests of the patients and patient care, but also to encourage residents to advance our specialty, to stay in academia. Especially for me, that means staying on the cutting edge of dental surgery. That opportunity is not always there in private practice,” he said. “Private practice is enticing to many. With student debt, it’s easy to go into private practice,” he said, “but it is a shame if you’re not giving back to the edu- cational process. It’s important to me to give back.” It’s easy to hear Portnof’s pride in his specialty as he describes the “fence” between dentistry and medicine. “Oral and maxillofacial surgery sits on that fence between the two worlds. If all the think- ers went into private practice and did not give back, it would be the end of advancing our specialty.” u 40 © LASTING IMPRESSIONS Faculty Impressions “I want to lead by example. I want to encourage students and residents to consider the best interests of the patients….” —Jason Portnof