Member Spotlight
Joshua E. Lubek, MD, DDS, FACS Associate Professor & Fellowship Director Oral-Head & Neck / Microvascular Surgery Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
When did you first join ACOMS and how did you become more involved with the College? I first joined ACOMS as a resident member; however, I did not become more actively involved until 2017 when I was asked to be on the Continuing Education Committee for the 2017-2018 year. Since that time, I have become more involved with educational aspects of ACOMS; such as my faculty participation in recent and upcoming courses on topics such as Maxillofacial Trauma and Head and Neck Cancer. My appointment as Section Editor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology( the official scientific journal for ACOMS) has also helped to further involvement in ACOMS, as we encourage scientific publication within this peer-reviewed journal along with an editorial reserved for ACOMS to select a topic to publish as well.
How did you decide to become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon? During dental school I developed a keen interest in the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery. I was fascinated by the numerous and varied surgical procedures within the specialty and decided to shadow and extern with multiple OMF surgeons, both in the academic and private office setting. I completed an internship year at the University of Michigan, which sparked my passion and desire to become an OMFS-Head & Neck Cancer Surgeon.
Recently, you co-directed our trauma course on the Management of Maxillofacial Soft Tissue Injuries.
Why is this course on treating trauma patients important for the OMS community? Trauma is core to OMFS training. It has allowed us a specialty to maintain presence within the hospital environment and has been a gateway to expansion of our surgical scope to include complex reconstruction, craniofacial deformities, head and neck cancer, and cosmetic surgery. I understand that it is time consuming, never convenient, and poorly reimbursed, but it can be highly rewarding and we are in a unique position to provide a great service to our local communities. Dr. Salam( the course codirector) and I decided on a course dedicated to soft tissue trauma, as we felt that very often the maxillofacial trauma courses offered focus on the management of facial fractures with less emphasis on soft tissue injury and reconstruction.