Pete Damiano is the Bernstein endowed professor in the UI Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry. After graduating from the UI College of Dentistry he served as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service, Indian Health Service, providing dental care to members of the Navajo Nation. He received his Masters of Public Health and training in health services/policy research while participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Dental Health Services Research Scholars Program at UCLA. As a 35 year UI faculty member, he conducts externally funded health services/policy research focusing on health disparities including access to and quality of primary care services for underserved populations. He also teaches health policy-related classes in multiple units on campus. He directed the UI Public Policy Center for 15 years, emphasizing the importance of experiential community-based research and education related to public policy. He is the author of more than 200 journal articles and research monographs and has been principal investigator on more than 75 funded research studies. He saw dental patients, including special needs adults, in the UI faculty practice for over 30 years.