Beyer named interim director of the Division of Orthodontics

John Beyer, DDS, PhD, is the interim director of the Division of Orthodontics, effective July 1.

Beyer is a clinical professor and the director of the Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics. He received his DDS in 1991, his Certificate in Orthodontics in 1996 and a PhD in Oral Biology in 1999, all from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.

Beyer has been a member of the School of Dentistry faculty in various capacities since 1997, including as assistant professor, clinical associate professor, clinical professor and graduate program director. In addition to his teaching roles, Beyer has practiced at the University of Minnesota Faculty Practice since 2014, and at various orthodontic practices.

Beyer is currently president of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Beta Beta Chapter and is a member of the Minnesota Association of Orthodontists, the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Education Association and the American Dental Association. He has been involved in a variety of committees and roles serving the school, including the Safety & Security Work Group, Clinical Affairs Committee, Digital Dentistry Workgroup and a variety of committees dedicated to accreditation, faculty searches, and educational policy. His research interests include biomechanical effects on bone remodeling, finite element modeling, biomaterials in orthodontics, 3D imaging and diagnosis and retention and relapse in orthodontics.

Beyer takes on this role as Brent Larson, DDS, MS, retires after more than twenty years as division director. During his time at the school, Larson was named a Distinguished Dental Alumnus and received the Century Club Professor of the Year Award in 2017. He has served in leadership at the local and national level, including as President of the Minnesota Association of Orthodontists, the Midwestern Society of Orthodontists and the American Association of Orthodontists. He has also written many scientific articles, contributed book chapters and given many lectures in the US and abroad.

“We are grateful for the leadership and dedication Dr. Larson has shown in his more than two decades at the school,” shared then-Dean Keith Mays, DDS, MS, PhD, in an email announcing the update to the school. “Please join me in thanking Dr. Larson for his service, and welcoming Dr. Beyer to this new role!”