Kamal Asgar

Kamal Asgar (Asgarzadeh) (Persian: کمال اصغرزاده‎‎), AB, BS, ChE, MS, PhD, (August 28, 1922 - July 8, 2012) was the Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Biomaterials, University of Michigan.^[1]

Biography

Dr. Asgar was born in Tabriz, Iran, on August 28, 1922- died on July 8, 2012 at his home Park Ridge, N.J. He entered the Technical College of Tehran, from which he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1945.^[1] He journeyed to the U.S. in 1946 to enter Michigan's master's program in chemistry.^[1] Upon receiving that degree in 1948, he went on to pick up a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering (1951), and finally a Ph.D. in combined metallurgy and dental materials (1959).^[2] In 1949, Dr. Asgar was hired as a research assistant in the School of Dentistry's Department of Dental Materials to do chemical analyses of amalgam for mercury content, and later to deliver occasional lectures in the area of plastics.^[1] He held this position until 1956, when he became a research associate half-time, and an instructor in dentistry half-time.^[1] Upon completion of his Ph.D. in 1959, Dr. Asgar's instructor's position became an assistant professorship and then, he was promoted to associate professor in 1962, and professor in 1966.^[2] His total work, which is contained in some 86 articles published over his career.^[1] He has presented 32 consecutive papers at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) annual conferences and also, 102 of his papers have appeared on microfilm of IADR's Dental Materials Group.^[1] Dr. Asgar has been recognized three times (1963, 1970, and 1980) as the recipient of the Paul Gibbons Award, which the senior class presents every year at graduation ceremonies to the instructor judged their most outstanding in four years of schooling.^[3] He also received the Wilmer Souder Award from IADR's Dental Materials Group in 1970,^[4] and the Hollenback Award from the Academy of Operative Dentistry in 1984.^[5] Dr.Asgar founded the Kamal Asgar research center (KARC) with the assist of his last PhD student (Dr. M Ali Saghiri)in 2008. KARC, the Center for excellence endodontic material, is the oldest and most respected endodontic Research Center worldwide.^[6] KARC, an independent non-profit organization, has worked closely with leading dental schools and universities for over five years and has pioneered many materials and techniques in use today.^[6] http://www.karcd.org He also donated several instruments such as universal testing machine to the KARC. Dr.Kamal Asgar also founded a charity dental clinic in his homeland, Tabriz/Iran, where is capable to admit poverty-stricken patients.

Awards and distinctions

lifetime member of DMG (Dental Material Group); He was a presenter of the Edward E. Hatton Awards.
Paul Gibbons Award, which the senior class presents every year at graduation ceremonies to the instructor judged their most outstanding in four years of schooling. (Dr. Asgar was recognized three times (1963, 1970, and 1980) as the recipient of this award)
Wilmer Souder Award from IADR's Dental Materials Group in 1970. and the Hollenback Award from the Academy of Operative Dentistry in 1984.

Publications

His research areas include: metals, casting, and porcelain bonding. Over the years, his research has resulted in a number of major contributions to the field, including development of: the first spherical high copper alloy; a new casting technique for more accurate casting of dental restorations; a new technique for measuring true contraction of gypsum products; a different way of measuring the bond strength of porcelain fused to metal; and a new partial denture alloy. This list barely scratches the surface of his total work, which is contained in some 86 articles published over his career.
He has presented 32 consecutive papers at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) annual conferences.
102 of his papers have appeared on microfilm of IADR's Dental Materials Group.
When he reviews the body of his work to date, the contribution that stands out to him as the most significant is his development of the two-phase concept used to study brittle failure microscopically, which was published in the American Society for Metals Transactions Quarterly in September 1964.
Dr. Asgar’s greatest academic contribution, however, is the book “Restorative dental materials”, first published in 1975 written by Robert George Craig, Floyd Avery Peyton and Kamal Asgar.
Dental materials workbook 618. Kamal Asgar, John M. Powers, Robert George Craig, University of Michigan. School of Dentistry. Dept. of Dental Materials.
Dental Materials Laboratory Projects. Kamal Asgar. University of Michigan. School of Dentistry. Overbeck publisher.

Foundations and philanthropic activities

He founded the Kamal Asgar Research Center (KARC) with his last PhD student (Dr. M Ali Saghiri). KARC, the center for excellence endodontic material, is the oldest and most respected^[7] endodontic research center worldwide. The center has worked closely with leading dental schools and universities for over five years and has pioneered many materials and techniques in use today. KARC provides an effective organization for research and training in a strong multi-disciplinary environment. The mission of this center is to improve the quality of health care delivery through the advancement of endodontic material. This goal will be achieved by:

Developing cooperative research and teaching relationships between KARC medical faculty and bioengineers in other Iran or USA universities.
Providing graduate and postdoctoral students with a means to conduct their research endeavors alongside experienced physicians, scientists, and biomedical engineers.
Establishing strategic alliances with industry partners to enable access to advanced technology and facilitate the process of technology transfer.
Attracting funding for research and training from diverse organizations

The structure of the center pairs biomedical engineers with clinicians and basic scientists to achieve common research goals and serves as an outstanding vehicle for the success of diverse research activities. Under the direction of Director Mohammad Ali Saghiri, investigators at KARC have ongoing, active collaborations with colleagues in the School of Dentistry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Allied Health. Asgar also gave many instruments such as universal testing machine generously to the KARC foundation.

Asgar also founded a charity dental clinic in his homeland, Tabriz, Iran, where is capable to admit poverty-stricken patients in year free of charge.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kamal Asgar | University of Michigan School of Dentistry". Dent.umich.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
1 2 "Accomplished dental materials researcher dies - American Dental Association". ADA.org. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
↑ (Retrieved July 09, 2012.)
↑ Presentation of the Edward E. Hatton Awards. J dent Res 1965; Nov-Dec Supplement: 1098.
↑ Dennison JB. Hollenback Prize (Kamal Asgar). Oper Dent. 1984;9:72-3.
1 2 "Professor Kamal Asgar Research Center". Karcd.org. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
↑ R, A. "Dr". university of Michigan. university of Michigan. Retrieved 28 March 2013.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.