Welcome to the Forsyth Institute and to our new Web site. Within these pages you will get a sense of the excitement and energy that today infuses the Institute and its multi-faceted programs in oral and craniofacial biology and related biomedical sciences.
Forsyth has been a leader in its field since its founding, first as a free dental infirmary for the children of Boston, and for the past four decades as the world's leading independent oral health research institution. At Forsyth, basic, translational and clinical scientists work closely in a highly collaborative environment to generate breakthroughs that exemplify science in the service of humanity. We strive to understand basic biological processes, while continuously directing this knowledge toward a very tangible goal – the translation into new diagnostics, preventions, treatments and products for people around the world. To me, this is science at its most powerful and meaningful, and it culminates in Forsyth's school-based ForsythKids dental decay prevention program and our international children's program in Kuwait.
Today I have the privilege to lead another institutional transformation. With our impending relocation in 2010 to new state-of-the-art facilities, access to powerful new technologies, closer working relationships with Harvard and its affiliates, and a substantial new resource base, we are poised to seize the vast opportunities before us in new and exciting ways.
Some of our future research directions include: human genomics and systems biology for individualized oral medicine; multifaceted collaborations with colleagues in engineering, bioengineering and materials sciences to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics; and deciphering the dynamic interplay between humans and the trillions of our bacterial passengers – the so-called 'human microbiome' – to promote a lifetime of wellness. To achieve these goals we are strongly committed to our community of scientists, trainees and staff, and to enhancing that community by recruiting the very best new scientists to lead us into our second century of greatness.
Please take this opportunity to discover Forsyth today and particularly to celebrate the Forsyth of tomorrow. I hope that you find much within these pages which resonates with you and inspires you to embrace our Mission: to eliminate oral diseases and prevent their deleterious effects on systemic health. I invite you to join with us in this quest, and to become a member of our extended family of academic and corporate collaborators, community and governmental partners, donors, volunteers and friends. There are many opportunities for you to help and to madifference in the lives of all people.
Sincerely,
Philip Stashenko
DMD, PhD
Interim President and CEO