374 JOE — Volume 34, Number 4, April 2008

Engage. Energize. Educate. Louis E. Rossman, D.M.D.

President’s Profile

Louis Rossman, known to his friends as “Luigi,” always enjoys a challenge. From complicated root canal treatments to climbing up a moun-tain, he is not someone to look back on his life and say, “I wish I had. . .” His aim is to do it all no matter what obstacles may be encountered. “The goal is to try and end my day smarter than I started or in better physical shape,” he says. This drive and constant curiosity has led him to many places; most recently, the top leader-ship position of the American Association of Endodontists.

A Solid FoundationDr. Rossman grew up in a loving and contemporary home in Philadelphia, Pa. His mother, Bea, was a music teacher in the Philadelphia school system, and father, Sam, a full-time clinical endodontist who also taught part-time at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his brother, Fred, regularly returned home to the aroma of potato latkes prepared by his grandmother who also lived with them. “Gramsy came from Russia at the turn of the century and knew that boys needed discipline, a dime in their pocket, education, culture and enormous quantities of food,” he says. “Ahhh, the old days before Lipitor!”

Even though his father was a well-established endodontist, he didn’t immediately look at enter-ing the dental profession. “Sure the influence to

lean towards endodontics must have been in my DNA, but I earned a dual major in biology and music, and attained a teach-ing degree,” he says. “Upon graduation, I wanted to teach and thought that if I could make $100 a week, I would be ‘living the good life’.” Teaching in the public school system proved frustrating, so Dr. Ross-man began looking into the medical or dental professions as a way of continuing the pursuit of his educational interests. He appreciated that dentistry provided more personal interaction with patients and it also allowed him to take advantage of the eye-hand coordination he had developed while playing the clarinet.

Finding His PassionAs a dental student at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Rossman was able to work his way through school on a summer science grant that enabled him to combine his biochemistry research passions in collagen and elastin. “I always thought periodontics would be my love until I heard my father lecture in Wilmington, Del., one evening,” Dr. Rossman says. “He asked me to change his slides for him and it was at that moment that I realized endodontics involved bone, healing, pharmacology, microbiology and all the subjects that I learned to love through research.”

Following the comple-tion of his dental degree in 1975, he entered the Penn endodontic program, con-tinued to pursue courses in periodontics and carried forward his research while looking toward the future. “I had considered a career in full-time academia, but the pull of my father’s influence and practice won out,” Dr. Rossman says.

Leaders in the FieldThrough working together in the early stages of his career, Dr. Rossman was appreciative

of the immediate access he had to his father’s guidance and extensive knowledge about the profession. “It is a toss-up which Sam was the first endodontist in Philadelphia—Rossman or Seltzer,” he says. “I was fortunate to have been born with one as my father. He continually relayed the message that I must give back, so I started to volunteer my time teaching one day a week.” The Rossmans were also the first father and son to achieve Diplomate status through the American Board of Endodontics, in 1965 and 1981, respectively.

Growing up and working in Philadelphia exposed Dr. Rossman to many dental luminar-ies including several endodontists. Each was a mentor with a different story to tell, including Drs. Abrams, Amsterdam, Cohen, Dannenberg, Freedland, Grossman, Oliet, Rappaport, Rose, Rosenbloom, Seibert, Seltzer, Silverstein, Stew-art, Trachtenberg, Trowbridge, Weisgold and Zurkow. “Each one of them has encouraged me to develop as a teacher and a clinician, as well as giving back to my profession,” he says. “I wanted be just like them.”

Another strong mentor and inspiration in his life was I.B. Bender. Their friendship strengthened while Dr. Rossman was one of I.B.’s graduate students and then continued to mature when he was appointed chair of the

Dr. Rossman (right) with I.B. Bender.

The younger Dr. Rossman (right) joined his father Sam’s (left) practice following his endodontic residency.

375JOE — Volume 34, Number 4, April 2008

President’s Profile

graduate program in endodontics at Albert Ein-stein Medical Center from 1985 through 1993, where Dr. Bender also taught. “There are so many stories to tell, however, this Journal is not large enough,” he says. “I.B. would call five times a week and when my wife picked up the telephone and heard it was him, she knew that I would be busy for the next hour. The conver-sations always ended with a lecture on bone. My father once told me ‘listen to I.B. and do whatever he says’—he was so right.”

While his career as an educator and a clinician continued to flourish, Dr. Rossman received a telephone call one evening from Dr. Herb Schilder. “He asked me if I wanted to serve on the American Board of Endodon-tics,” Dr. Rossman says. “I said that he must have wanted to speak with my father, but I was wrong.” His first position in organized dentistry at the national level was as an ABE director from 1989-1995, serving as president in his final year. During this time, he was instrumental along with Drs. Lamar Hicks, Stuart Fountain and Sandra Madison, in establishing the College of Diplomates. “Lamar and I would spend eve-nings writing the constitution and bylaws while we ate Chinese food,” he says. He also served on its board as vice president.

Dr. Rossman was next invited to serve on the AAE Board of Directors as a representa-tive from District I before becoming part of the Association’s executive leadership. He has served on numerous AAE committees, the Journal of Endodontics editorial board and in 2002, he was the general chair of the Annual Session in Chicago.

In addition to his involvement with the AAE, he has served on the editorial board of the Com-pendium for Continuing Education, and has contributed to a number of textbooks, including ones involving veterinary medicine, periodon-tics and endodontics. He continues to volunteer his time as a part-time educator, gives lectures

around the world and also serves on the Penn School of Dental Medicine Board of Overseers.

Giving Back and Moving ForwardLooking ahead over the next 12 months, Dr. Rossman is excited about the future and sees much that can be accomplished by AAE leadership, the Association as a whole and, more importantly, by each individual member.

“We are at several crossroads in endodontics and are approaching them from a position of strength,” he says. “Our organization has achieved a reputation of excellence in the dental community and I hope members are excited by what they see and experi-ence, and are proud of those that they have elected. It is up to each of us who have been given the torch of leadership to represent each member and give them the quality professional services and support that they deserve.”

He is looking to place an emphasis on three different areas—education/science, clinical prac-tice and spirit. “I would like to see the mind-body connection emphasized for our membership,” he says. “Maintaining our bodily health is just as important as feeding our minds. Balancing these areas is vital for our individual futures.”

Education and science will be addressed through many initiatives, including a consen-sus conference on diagnostic terminology that will take place in October. “After serving on the ABE, I can tell you that we have no consensus on terminology and diagnosis,” Dr. Rossman says. “What is the evidence? I hope that this conference will develop a dialogue and some conclusions that will drive thinking, research,

cooperation, communication and terminology for years to come.”

In the clinical realm, a topic to be addressed continues to be implants. “If I were a young gradu-ate coming out of a program and had 30 years ahead to practice, perhaps I would like to learn how to place implants in certain clini-cal situations,” Dr. Rossman says. The AAE will drive this initiative at the 2008 Fall Conference, which is solely devoted to this topic.

The Rossman family enjoys doing a number of activities together including ski trips.

Nurturing a Generous SpiritDr. Rossman’s life would not be complete without his family who relish challenges as much as he does. His wife, Val, is an abstract artist who has exhibited in galleries throughout the United States. She also holds a masters in psychology, has run 11 marathons and studied various religious texts, including the Torah, New Testament and the Koran. She is the backbone of the family and the glue that keeps them focused and together. Their daughter, Alexis, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, will enter law school this September and has also begun to run marathons. Ben, their son, will graduate from high school this spring and attend Dartmouth College in the fall, recruited for academics and varsity lacrosse. His mother, Bea, at 87 is still going at 87 mph. She continues to travel constantly and just went around the world, still plays Chopin on her Steinway and does not sit still long enough for the angel of death to catch her.

“Everyone has a role in meeting the chal-lenges we face,” Dr. Rossman says. “A solid support system is vital to achieving any suc-cess. I, as one person, cannot change the field of endodontics, but I look forward to taking the helm and working with others to see if we can change the course, perhaps only by a degree, but for the better.”

The Rossmans pose for a photo at home (from left to right): Louis, Alexis, Ben and Val.