Dr. Joanne L. Prasad joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 2005 and currently is an associate professor in the Department of Oral Biology and in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences. She earned a doctor of adental surgery (DDS) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry in 1995. Dr. Prasad subsequently completed a general practice residency at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., (1996), an internship in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Louisiana State University/Charity Hospital in New Orleans, La., (1997), and a 3-year residency program in oral and maxillofacial pathology at The New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in Flushing, N.Y., (1999-2002). In 2018, she received a master of public health degree, along with a certificate in Health Systems Leadership and Management, both from the Pitt Graduate School of Public Health. She is a member of honorary societies in both dentistry (Omicron Kappa Upsilon) and in public health (Delta Omega Honorary Society).
In 2016, Dr. Prasad completed the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Summer Program for Emerging Academic Leaders. She also is a 2017 graduate of the ADEA Leadership Institute program. She was awarded the ADEA/ADEAGies Foundation Drs. Connie L. and Richard R. Drisko Scholarship to attend the program.
Dr. Prasad is actively involved in teaching predoctoral students, dental hygiene students and graduate residents at the School of Dental Medicine. She is the director of courses in histology, oral and maxillofacial pathology, and biological sciences, and a frequent guest lecturer in several other courses, such as General and Systemic Pathology. She also contributes to programs offered by the school’s Continuing Dental Education Center, providing lectures to dental and allied health professionals across the state of Pennsylvania.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Prasad is actively involved in service to the School of Dental Medicine. She is vice-chair of the predoctoral program Curriculum Committee, and serves on the Dean’s Council, the Clinical Affairs Council, and the Dental Hygiene Program’s Promotions Committee. She served as director of the school’s Quality Management and Improvement program from 2014 to 2017, and continues to participate in efforts to improve the quality of care offered at the school. In the spring of 2018, Dr. Prasad was appointed Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. In this new role, she is actively involved in reviewing, updating and enhancing the predoctoral curriculum. Also, she serves as a school liaison to the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education.
For the past 3 years, Dr. Prasad has been actively involved in organizing communal events involving the Pitt Schools of Dental Medicine and Pharmacy, such as the annual Art and Writing Expo. She was the School of Dental Medicine’s liaison for the University’s Year of the Humanities events for the 2015-16 academic year and she serves currently on a University committee on cultural competence.
Her research interests vary broadly from the clinical, pathologic and immunohistochemical profile of oral lesions to topics related to health disparity. Dr. Prasad has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals. She has been published in Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology, Head and Neck Pathology, Journal of the American Dental Association, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and others.
As a board-certified oral and maxillofacial pathologist, Dr. Prasad is a staff surgical pathologist and consultant for the University Dental Health Services, Inc. Biopsy Service.