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Bernard J. Costello

Associate Vice Chancellor and Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Bernard J. Costello, MD, DMD is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Education and works in the senior administration at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He has been a full-time faculty member at Pitt since 2001 and is the former dean of the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Costello is a tenured Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Maxillofacial Surgery at UPMC Children’s Hospital, where he is a surgeon on the cleft-craniofacial team. He obtained his undergraduate training at the University of Scranton and Berklee College of Music. Dr. Costello earned his doctorates in medicine and dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. Following his residency training at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Costello completed a pediatric craniomaxillofacial fellowship at the Posnick Center for Facial Surgery and Georgetown University Medical Center.

As Associate Vice Chancellor, he drives team-based programming across the university in curriculum development, online/hybrid education, clinical team development, community engagement, research, clinical care, and interprofessional educational platforms. As Director of the Center for Interprofessional Education (CIPE), he has built cross-institutional engagement and platforms for students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Costello is known for his translational research in regenerative medicine strategies for craniofacial deformities. He has been a primary investigator and collaborator for projects and multi-institutional grants to develop regenerative technologies with Pitt’s Center for Craniofacial Regeneration. He also authored novel guidelines for responsible pain management that focus on a non-opioid approach and has been a strong public advocate for measures to fight the opioid addiction crisis. He has published numerous peer-reviewed publications and has served as an editor and author for several key texts focusing on craniomaxillofacial reconstruction.

Dr. Costello has also served in leadership positions with many professional associations, boards, and foundations. He is the Immediate Past-President of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Past-President of the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons, and Past-President of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. Dr. Costello lectures internationally on pediatric facial disorders and craniofacial regenerative translational research. He also treats facial injuries for the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey team in conjunction with UPMC Sports Medicine.

Experience

  • –present
    Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Pittsburgh