Dr. Alessandro Villa is an assistant professor of Oral Medicine in the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, as well as an associate surgeon in the Division of Oral Medicine and Dentistry at Brigham and Women's Hospita
l. Dr. Villa earned his DDS and PhD from Italy. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland and later obtained his certificate in Oral Medicine from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
After spending some time on the faculty at Boston University, Dr. Villa began his career at HSDM five years ago and has worked alongside Jane Barrow, associate dean for Global and Community Health at HSDM and executive director for Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine, for nearly three years. In his role at HSDM, Dr. Villa oversees the Oral Medicine residency program and the Oral Medicine and Oral Oncology fellowship.
Dr. Villa's research interests are focused primarily on the early diagnosis of oral cancer. In particular, he is working on a predictive model for oral cancer in patients affected by potentially malignant oral disorders. For more information on Dr. Villa’s background, click here.
Through his work with the Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine, Dr. Villa recognizes the importance of organizations and communities that prioritize the link between oral and systemic health. “I believe HSDM and the Initiative play a major role in advancing the conversation about integrated healthcare and serve as an example for other institutions in the country. We need better integration between oral and systemic health with dentists, physicians, and middle level providers working together,” he said.
The integration of oral health and general health plays a key role in much of the work that Dr. Villa does in his work at HSDM and BWH. He enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with the many partners of the Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine. “The Initiative has given me the opportunity to interact with scientists and clinicians with different backgrounds but all with a common goal: improve oral health and therefore the systemic health of our patients.”
When asked about which projects excite him the most, Dr. Villa talks about his work with the Massachusetts oral HPV prevention task force. “My main interest is the prevention of the HPV infection and potentially malignant oral disorders,” he said. “As the co-chair of the Massachusetts oral HPV prevention task force, I implemented an educational program to improve HPV awareness and immunization amongst the public and the dental providers. More recently, I received a grant to test the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy for patients affected by proliferative leukoplakia, an oral condition with a high risk for malignant transformation.”
Dr. Villa also serves as the director of the Oral Oncology and Oral Medicine Fellowship at HSDM. This new fellowship opportunity, which is supported by a grant from DentaQuest, aims to provide in-depth training for community dentists so that they are adequately prepared to manage cancer patients throughout the course of their cancer treatment and post-cancer therapy. Graduates of the fellowship program are expected to serve as community experts, providing a critical resource for oncologists, dentists, and cancer patients. Dr. Villa’s role in overseeing and directing this fellowship demonstrates his commitment to the integration of oral health and medicine.
In terms of the changing landscape of healthcare, Dr. Villa stated, “Oral medicine is the bridge that connects medicine and dentistry. One example of this integration comes from our oncology patients. With the advent of new therapeutics and the increasing incidence of cancer, more and more patients experience oral toxicities. Our goal is to accompany these patients throughout their journey and make sure that they can adequately eat, drink, and speak.”
Dr. Villa is hopeful for the future of medical-dental collaboration. “As Dean Donoff said in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, I am hoping that with time we may be able to end ‘medicine's separation between the mouth and the rest of the body’ and see and treat the patient as a whole.”