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Dr. James B. Bramson
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Dr. James B. Bramson, executive director of the Massachusetts Dental Society since 1997 and a veteran of the American Dental Association’s senior staff, was appointed ADA executive director April 22 by the Board of Trustees.
A 1979 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and a former Hillen-brand Fellow with extensive administrative experience, Dr. Bramson will take up his new duties July 1 as the Association’s ninth executive director.
"Overwhelmed," the ADA’s new chief executive said when asked for his reaction to the Board’s decision. "The Board and I spent a lot of time together discussing our shared vision for the organization and how to make the best use of our extensive resources."
At the heart of that "shared vision," he said, was a mutual desire "to add value to membership," a theme Dr. Bramson has stressed during his tenure in Massachusetts.
The 47-year-old general dentist’s resume runs the gamut of professional experience. Beyond his administrative work, he’s been a private practitioner and a clinical instructor. He’s a published author who has written and lectured extensively on a broad range of topics: the changing dental marketplace, risk management, recordkeeping, dental office ergonomics, infection control and liability, dental practice sales, team management and clinical topics.
After dental school, Dr. Bramson started a solo dental practice in Parkersburg, Iowa, later purchasing a satellite facility in a neighboring town.
In 1986, he was awarded the ADA’s prestigious Hillenbrand Fellowship in Dental Administration, a year-long program that brought him on board with the ADA to gain practical administrative experience.
His year as a Hillenbrand Fellow led to a staff appointment in 1987, when he was named associate director, Council on Dental Practice. Among other duties, Dr. Bramson developed and presented practice management seminars for dental students.
In 1990, he was appointed director of the Council on Dental Practice, serving concurrently as director of the Commission on Relief Fund Activities, secretary/treasurer of the ADA Endowment and Assistance Fund Inc., and secretary/treasurer of the ADA Emergency Fund Inc. In 1997, he left the ADA for the top job at the 4,500-member Massachusetts Dental Society.
Dr. Bramson and his wife, Joanne, have three school-aged children, Adam, Matt and Lauren.
The new executive director’s appointment culminates a five-month search begun shortly after Dr. John S. Zapp announced that he would retire as the ADA’s chief executive at the end of March.
