The Osteology Foundation
One of a kind in dentistry
Interview conducted by My To
The Osteology Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary next year . We took the opportunity to talk to Kristian Tersar , Executive Director of the foundation and a member of the team for many years . He tells us about the beginnings and the development of the foundation and where it stands today .
Tell us , Kristian Tersar : how did it all begin ?
The Osteology Foundation was founded in 2003 by Dr Peter Geistlich , together with Geistlich Pharma and like-minded experts , as an international and independent non-profit organisation . Dr Geistlich wanted the Osteology Foundation to be a platform that focuses on " Linking Science with Practice in Regeneration ”, in other words , to promote research and education for the benefit of patients worldwide .
Therefore , the Osteology Foundation is committed to follow the visions of Dr Peter Geistlich , a true philanthropist , who significantly shaped regenerative dentistry with his independent thinking and charisma . He always said : « The Osteology Foundation aims to be a guarantee for the advancement of evidence-based knowledge and to promote the continuing education of specialists as well as practitioners .»
Can you explain how the foundation is organised ?
The Osteology Foundation Board defines the strategy , sets the objectives and distributes financial resources to the committees . Each Foundation Board member is assigned to one of the two committees : science or education . Furthermore , the Foundation Board elects the members of the Executive Board which is responsible for operations . They review all activities and assure good governance in line with the foundation ’ s objectives . Our team at the Osteology Office provides the support to implement the projects . A glance at our monthly Osteology News or our social media platforms shows how much we have grown .
And what are the foundation ’ s objectives and how is this implemented in practice ?
The foundation is committed to be the most attractive platform for research and education in oral tissue regeneration and all our projects are targeted to reach this goal .
As a partner in research , we have financially supported more than 150 projects since 2004 , resulting in more than 225 scientific publications across the entire spectrum of oral tissue regeneration . In addition to this , the Osteology Research Academy is running courses on research design and methodology to support researchers in their daily work .
At the same time , we organise scientific education for practitioners in the form of International and National Symposia . The latter ones are organised by our very active National Osteology Groups . We also cooperate with other professional societies to increase our reach and join forces . On top of all that , we provide a platform to connect and exchange scientific knowledge , THE BOX – this is where your global community meets .
Geistlich is the main sponsor of the Osteology Foundation , so how does this impact the foundation ’ s work ?
Geistlich Pharma AG and the Osteology Foundation are in a relationship of founder and foundation . But the scientific independence created by its founder is the foundation ’ s most important asset . Independence is what enables the Osteology Foundation to achieve its outstanding position in the global oral regeneration community . The foundation stands for evidence-based knowledge transfer , without product promotion through the back door .
Photo : Osteology Foundation
36 GEISTLICH NEWS 1-2022