‘Why not a dental school?’
How Dr. David Katz’s casual remark turned into a new college at Touro
Dr. David Katz of Teaneck, vice dean for clinical affairs at Touro College of Dental Medicine, will be the guest of honor at the school’s upcoming gala celebrating its 10th anniversary.
When he accepted the position as vice dean eight years ago, Dr. Katz had been practicing dentistry for over three decades. He’d also been an associate clinical professor of dentistry at his alma mater, the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, and an administrator in the dental clinics at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Booth Memorial Hospital.
At 60 years old, he could have politely declined taking on a demanding new position. But he couldn’t resist the offer.
After all, the very idea of Touro University establishing a dental school grew out of a casual remark he’d made to his Shabbat study partner, Touro University president and CEO Dr. Alan Kadish, in 2011. A former cardiologist, Dr. Kadish came aboard in 2010 and was fast expanding the university’s offerings.
“One Shabbos morning as we were learning over coffee, we were talking about all the post-graduate initiatives that Touro was instituting,” Dr. Katz recalled. “I jokingly said to Dr. Kadish, ‘Why not a dental school?’ But he didn’t take it as a joke; when he hears an idea he likes, he runs with it. Sure enough, within a few weeks he put together a search committee to investigate the possibility and logistics of starting a dental school. And it opened in 2016.”
Touro, which was established in 1970, is the largest higher education system under Jewish auspices in America, serving a diverse population of more than 20,000 students — the majority of whom are not Jewish — in dozens of schools across the United States, as well as in Berlin and Jerusalem.
TCDM, which shares facilities with New York Medical College in Valhalla, in Westchester County, opened as the 66th dental school in the United States, the first new dental school in New York State in more than 50 years, and the first American dental school under Jewish auspices. Like all Touro schools, TCDM is a kosher and Sabbath-observant campus.
Dr. Katz “helped a little bit behind the scenes” in getting the dental school off the ground, as he was then assistant director of a dental residency program at New York Presbyterian, in addition to maintaining a private practice in New York.
“And then in 2018, Dr. Kadish says to me, ‘You know, David, if you’re ever going to get involved in the school actively, you’ve got to do it now because we need someone to run the clinics,’” Dr. Katz said. “‘That’s your expertise.’
“And yes, that was my expertise. So I came home and I spoke to my wife and children. After a lot of thought, I decided it was time to give back. I’d had 35 years of really tremendous success — God granted me that success and I don’t take it for granted — and I could be retired and be very happy, but this is my opportunity to give back to a profession that was very good to me and to give to the Jewish people and the next generation of students whatever small knowledge I may possess.”
That’s putting it modestly and mildly. Dr. Katz, who has rabbinic ordination from an Israeli yeshiva, not only has vast clinical knowledge but also vast halachic knowledge related to Jewish legal issues that come up in the practice of dentistry.
In 2017, Feldheim Publishers released Dr. Katz’s 500-page “Kesser Dovid, The Halachic Guide to Dentistry.” Compiled with input from senior rabbinic authorities, it answers frequently asked questions about, for example, when it’s permissible to treat patients on Shabbat and whether removable oral appliances or postsurgical materials constitute a halachic barrier to mikveh use.
A second edition, coming out soon, contains about 750 pages, reflecting additional questions that have come up in recent years.
“The biggest question is about bone grafts, now the standard dental procedure with implants,” Dr. Katz said. “Often the socket area is treated with bone graft material to hold the implant, and the best source of that material is cadavers.”
This raises halachic issues due to the prohibition on benefiting from a corpse, as well as the prohibition forbidding a male cohen — a member of the priestly class, whether the practitioner or the patient — to have contact with a dead body. In consultation with rabbinic experts, Dr. Katz said, “We came up with many answers and solutions to this problem.”
Two years ago, he got a call from an official of the New Square chasidic community in Rockland County. Dr. Katz, an Orthodox Jew who is definitely not chasidic, was surprised to hear that the rebbe of the community had been using his book as a reference for years. He was even more surprised when the official invited him to meet with the rebbe, where they discussed the issues raised in his book for several hours. Dr. Katz then presented alongside the rebbe at a lecture series on medical and dental halacha for 350 chasidic rabbis and students. Dr. Katz soon will lecture in New Square again about the halachic aspects of bone grafts.
He noted that many chasidic patients go to TCDM’s dental clinic because it is so close to Rockland County. But, typical of Touro colleges, which were placed intentionally in underserved locations such as Montana and Nevada, the dental school reaches way beyond the Jewish population.
The four-year program includes 860 students – that’s 115 in each class, plus an additional 100 per class who complete two years in New York and then transfer to the clinical training facility Touro established in Albuquerque, New Mexico, two years ago.
“New Mexico did not have a dental school,” Dr. Katz explained. “It is one of the poorest states — close to 50 percent of the population is on Medicaid —and has one of the lowest ratios of dentists to the population. We felt that this would fall exactly in line with Touro’s mission statement, which is to provide care to the underserved.”
With that mission statement in mind, Dr. Katz is working to build TouroCAREs, a dedicated dental clinic at the TCDM New York campus for patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Proceeds from the February 22 gala will go toward that project’s approximately $10 million budget.
“Over the course of time, we realized that we were seeing a number of patients in the school’s clinic, children and adults, whose needs were beyond the scope of our students and beyond the scope of many practitioners,” Dr. Katz said. “These patients were seeking guidance and care, hoping that someone would take care of them. It became apparent that this was a neglected part of society.
“Touro is an amazing institution. Rather than say, ‘We really can’t help you’ and close the doors, we decided to come up with a solution to take care of these people.”
He clarified that “there are one or two existing facilities comparable to what we want to build, but not in the immediate area nor at the level of convenience we envision. There is one, for example, in New York City, but it’s on the 11th floor in an area where it’s difficult to park. Just imagine if you have a person with cerebral palsy or other special needs, having to try to find parking and then bring the person up to the 11th floor.”
The 5,000-square-foot TCDM special-needs clinic, expected to be completed in the summer of 2027, is on the ground floor, and there is convenient parking.
Moreover, because patients with special needs may have to be not just sedated but put under general anesthesia, the new clinical facility will have two hospital-grade operating room facilities. And the dental stations will be designed to accommodate patients in wheelchairs and with other physical limitations.
Dr. Katz and his wife, Tammy, moved to Bergenfield in 1985 and to Teaneck two years later. They are members of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun there.
“We’re blessed with four children, all of whom are married with families, thank God, and three of whom live within a very short distance,” Dr. Katz said. “Our fourth child, Alan, lives in Israel. He’s a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Our other son, Josh, is a banker. Our older daughter, Elana Yunger, is in marketing and advertising. Our younger daughter, Rebecca Block, is a dentist in Teaneck. In fact, she was one of the founding faculty members at Touro College of Dental Medicine. And I work for her now. I take the restorative dental cases on Tuesday afternoons.”
Speaking of difficult cases, Dr. Katz received a congressional commendation for serving on the Dental Identification Unit for 9/11 victims.
“That was one of the transformative events of my life,” he said. “It was very emotional and I had a hard time speaking about it for a long time; even now I get all choked up. But it definitely affected my career and my direction in terms of not taking things for granted and really interacting with people and families that were traumatized.”
Dr. Katz also brings those interpersonal skills to his work at Touro.
“What truly makes him stand out is his deep care and concern for the students and his commitment to supporting them along every step of their personal, academic, and professional journeys,” Dr. Kadish said.
Dr. Ronnie Myers, dean of TCDM, noted that “Dr. Katz is exceptionally engaging with our students, skillfully balancing academic excellence with values of compassion, integrity, and mutual respect. He treats them as colleagues rather than students, offering encouragement through regular walks in the clinic. His course on clinical case presentation inspires students, showing them the possibilities for outstanding patient care. It’s truly a pleasure and inspiration to work with him.”
Shaina Reissman, a second-year student at Touro College of Dental Medicine, said, “Dr. Katz’s warmth and genuine care for the students at Touro go far beyond his open-door policy. Whether walking through the halls, simulation lab, or clinic, Dr. Katz consistently offers thoughtful encouragement and uplifting remarks that bring positivity to our days and reinforce his deep investment in our success.”
Dr. Katz said he agreed to be honored at the Touro gala only because he is so passionate about the dental school and especially the TouroCAREs project for people with special needs.
“I don’t need any accolades. But for this particular cause, I just felt I had to step up to the plate. This is the cause that I felt I want to lend my name to. This, to a certain extent, is my legacy, to provide care to the underserved of society, which is what I really believe in.”
What: Touro College of Dental Medicine 10th Anniversary Gala
When: Sunday, February 22, 5 p.m.
Where: Rockleigh Country Club, Rockleigh
Information/RSVP: tcdmevents@touro.edu or (914) 594-2647
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