Dr. Bernard J. Costello serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Science Integration and works with the senior administration in the Health Sciences and UPMC. He has been a full-time faculty member at Pitt since 2001 and is the former dean of the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Costello is Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Chief of Pediatric Maxillofacial Surgery at UPMC Children’s Hospital where he the longest serving surgeon on the cleft-craniofacial team. Dr. Costello earned his doctorates in dentistry and medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. Following his residency training at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Costello completed a pediatric craniofacial fellowship at the Posnick Center for Facial Surgery and Georgetown University Medical Center.
In his role as Associate Vice Chancellor, he is charged with driving integration amongst the health science schools in multiple areas such as curriculum development, faculty support, clinical team development, and interprofessional educational platforms. As director of the Center for Interprofessional Education (CIPE), he has built cross-school platforms for educational learning, team care, and community engagement for students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Costello is primarily known for his translational research in regenerative medicine strategies for craniofacial deformities and has been a primary investigator and team science collaborator for projects and multi-institutional grants aimed at developing regenerative technologies with Pitt Dental Medicine’s Center for Craniofacial Regeneration. He also authored novel guidelines for responsible pain management that focus on a non-opioid approach and has been a strong advocate for measures to fight the opioid addiction crisis. He has published numerous peer reviewed publications and has served as an editor and authored content for several key texts focusing on craniomaxillofacial reconstruction.
Dr. Costello has also served in leadership positions with a number of professional associations, boards and foundations. He currently is the President for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Past-President of the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons, and Past-President of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. Dr. Costello regularly lectures world-wide on pediatric facial disorders and craniofacial regenerative translational research. He also treats facial injuries for the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey team in conjunction with UPMC Sports Medicine.