ADA names new director for Center for Scientific Strategies & Information

The ADA has named Eugenio Beltran, DMD, MPH, DrPH, as senior director of the Center for Scientific Strategies & Information.

Dr. Beltran will oversee activities of the Council on Scientific Affairs; identify emerging issues; assess and evaluate the scientific basis, clinical relevance, and member value for issues; and guide the programs of the ADA's Science Institute, including the Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, Center for Product Evaluation, Professional Product Review under the Center for Scientific Information.

Dr. Beltran was a senior scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he also was an advisor to the Director Division of Oral Health. Dr. Beltran led the Division of Oral Health Surveillance, Research, and Investigations team in conducting national and state surveillance of oral diseases and investigations in dental caries, fluorides, and fluorosis.

Most recently he was responsible for collating the scientific evidence for CDC's evaluation of recommendations for fluoride in drinking water for the U.S. He joined the CDC in 1991 as an epidemiologist to support state efforts in collecting surveillance data conducting research on alternative methods for data collection. This led to the development of the Basic Screening Survey, a surveillance tool which is used at state and national levels.

Prior to the CDC, Dr. Beltran was a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and School of Public Health and Institute for Social Research.

Dr. Beltran received his Cirujano Dentista (DMD) at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru. He also received his Master of Public Health, Master of Science, and Doctor of Public Health from the University of Michigan. He now serves as president on the board at the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.