Academy of Operative Dentistry Award of ExcellenceDr Michael A Cochran
Citation: Operative Dentistry 36, 1; 10.2341/1559-2863-36.1.118
Dr Michael Cochran graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1969. He served in the US Navy Dental Corps for nine years, and during that time, he received his Master of Science in Dentistry degree in Operative Dentistry and Dental Materials under Mel Lund and Ralph Phillips from the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD). Dr Lund asked Mike to return to join the IUSD faculty in 1978 and appointed him as the Director of the Undergraduate Operative Dentistry Clinic. He followed Dr Lund as Chairman of the Operative Department from 1988 until 1993. From then until 2009, Mike held the title of Professor and Director of the Graduate Operative Dentistry program at Indiana. During his academic career, Dr Cochran has taught and directed dozens of pre- and post-doctoral dental courses. He has served on 143 post-doctoral committees, chairing more than half of them. Mike has served on dozens of dental school committees, including being President of the Faculty Council.
Dr Cochran has received numerous awards from students and organizations. He has published more than 100 abstracts and scientific articles, contributed to seven textbooks and has presented over 200 continuing education courses nationally and internationally in the area of restorative dentistry.
Mike theoretically retired from the dental school in 2009, but he continues to present the same didactic material to the graduate operative residents and to the junior dental students as he did in previous years. He also continues to mentor students in the Graduate Operative Clinic.
Mike is passionate about excellence. The two academic areas where this is most obvious are his lecture presentations and his editorship of the Operative Dentistry journal. I know of no other speaker at IUSD or nationally who presents finer digitally-illustrated lectures than does Dr Cochran, his keynote digital presentations are stunning and legendary.
Mike has been an active member of eight professional societies, including the Academy of Operative Dentistry and the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators. He has also acted as a consultant on Operative Dentistry to a number of groups, including a long-term relationship with the National Naval Postgraduate Dental School. Dr Cochran has held many official assignments in dental organizations, including being on the council and making presentations before the Academy of Operative Dentistry and serving as Counselor, Vice President and President of the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators, where he has also made numerous presentations. The Foil Academy honored Mike with their Clinician of the Year award in 1992 and their Distinguished Member award in 2005. He is likely most well known as having been the editor of our Operative Dentistry journal, a position he held for 10 years through 2009.
During his 10 years as Editor, Operative Dentistry nearly doubled in size and has become so significant that, as time went on, Mike had to reject the majority of articles submitted for publication. Being Editor of the journal has truly been a labor of love for Mike. His wife Chris said that, for those 10 years, the most she saw of Mike was the back of his head as he sat at the computer working on the journal. Although looking forward to regaining some of the hours he spent on the journal, it was with mixed emotions that he retired as Editor, fortunately for the journal he continues on as an Associate Editor.
It's important to note that Mike is not just a devoted professional man, but also a dedicated husband and family man, proud of his three children and doting on his six grandchildren.
Michael Cochran is truly deserving of receiving the Award of Excellence from the Academy of Operative Dentistry.