Lawrence Gettleman

Biography

Lawrence (Larry) Gettleman was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and grew up on Miami Beach, Florida, graduating from Miami Beach High School in 1958. He has been involved in school, regional and national science fairs, attended the Florida State University Science Camp in 1957, and won 4th place in the 1958 National Science Fair (now ISEF). He went to his father’s alma mater, Rutgers College (B.A. psychology 1962), the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (D.M.D., 1966), and St. Louis University (M.S.D, 1968) for a prosthodontic post-doctoral specialty fellowship on an NIH research training grant.

He was recruited for an active-duty research position with the US Public Health Service in San Francisco under Gunnar Ryge (1968-70, inactive reserve until 2010), and returned to the Harvard faculty as instructor/assistant professor from 1971-76. He moved to the LSU School of Dentistry as chair of the new biomaterials department, and then Gulf South Research Institute in New Orleans (1980-88) before joining the University of Louisville School of Dentistry faculty in 1990, retiring in 2021 to the Houston area to be close to family. He will be joining the University of Texas School of Dentistry’s adjunct faculty in late 2024.

Dr. Gettleman maintained a private and faculty practices in restorative dentistry and prosthodontics, and has 82 research publications (latest h-factor = 21), 17 book chapters, 161 research abstracts & letters, and 3 patents for a commercial resilient denture liner (Novus®). He is a life member of the American Dental Association and its component societies since 1963, and the ADA’s ANSI/ISO standards groups since 1968. He has mentored 35 pre- and post-doctoral degree students, numerous high school students, and is a fellow of six honor societies. He has been a reviewer for NIH, VA, and foreign dental study sections and is on the editorial boards or reviewer for several professional journals. He was the coinvestigator on many NIH-funded research and training grants, and the principal investigator of nine NIH-funded research grants including a $2.9 million NIH randomized, controlled, prospective, single-crossover, multicenter (University of Louisville, University of Texas School of Dentistry, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Toronto Sunnybrook Cancer Centre) clinical trial in 2003-2009 for a thermoplastic maxillofacial prosthetic material he helped to develop.

Community organizations include the regional science fairs (dental science, automotive, and Sigma Xi student awards), founded the Kentucky Science Fair Endowment, Kentucky Opera and Kentucky Shakespeare organizations, public radio, neighborhood improvement and historic associations, the local Harvard clubs, and several automobile and flying clubs. He owned a 1977 Cessna 172N for 41 years, recently sold, and now owns a 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 4.2L 4-speed since 1969, a 2002 Jaguar X-Type 3.0L 5-speed since 2005, and a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda 5-speed since 1983. Long gone are a 1973 M-B 220D 4-speed and a 1974 M-B 240D automatic. His first car was a 1954 Austin-Healey 100-4 5-speed and then a 1965 Volvo 1800S 5-speed.

Larry Gettleman initiated and directed the group that brought the International Science & Engineering Fair to Louisville in 1997 with six Nobel Laureates as judges. Professional groups include many dental societies, research societies such as the Society for Biomaterials, Academy of Dental Materials (president), Sigma Xi, U.S. Public Health Service recruiter, and advisor to student fraternities. He has been married to Ricky for 62 years, has 2 children and 5 grandchildren.

Lawrence Gettleman

Biography

About

Programs

Chapters

Meetings & Events

Members

News

Publications