Oral Surgeon Jonathan Burke Takes Over as Director of NIDCR

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Jonathan E. Burke, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, began work Sept. 20 as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announced the selection Sept. 18.

Burke arrives from a Philadelphia oral and maxillofacial consulting firm, where he served as medical director, and continues to practice dentistry. Bhattacharya described him as a leader in craniofacial trauma and cleft palate reconstruction and said that clinical background gives him a useful perspective as the institute translates research into patient care.

The directorship carries an annual budget of more than $520 million supporting basic, translational and clinical research in oral cancer, orofacial pain, tooth decay, periodontal disease, salivary gland dysfunction, craniofacial development and disorders, and the oral complications of systemic diseases. The institute funds roughly 750 awards, 660 investigators and 200 organizations, and supports training and career development for about 380 researchers and trainees.

Burke is board certified in oral and maxillofacial surgery with more than three decades in clinical and academic practice. He previously served as assistant professor of surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he co-founded the institution’s first Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and supervised surgical residents across multiple specialties. He held a concurrent clinical assistant professor appointment at Temple University School of Dentistry and has maintained hospital privileges at several health systems, including staff status with the Regional Cleft Palate Program in Camden, New Jersey.

Early in his career Burke served as principal or co-investigator on research covering temporomandibular joint pharmacology, implant devices and post-surgical pain management, and he has co-authored peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on craniofacial trauma, reconstruction and TMJ disorders. He earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and a doctorate in dental medicine at Temple University, completing his postgraduate training as chief resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Temple University Hospital.

Burke succeeds Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, who had led the institute in an acting capacity since April 2024. Bhattacharya credited her with steady leadership through the transition.

Sources:
National Institutes of Health, “Dr. Jonathan Burke selected as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,” Sept. 18, 2026: nih.gov/news-releases/dr-jonathan-burke-selected-director-nidcr
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, director’s biographical sketch: nidcr.nih.gov/about-us/nidcr-leadership/nidcr-director