Published December 12, 2013
Russell J. Nisengard, a longtime faculty member and administrator in the School of Dental Medicine, died Dec. 5 in Buffalo General Medical Center after a long illness. He was 70.
A lifelong resident of Buffalo, Nisengard earned a DDS with a specialty in periodontics from the UB dental school and a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
He joined the dental school faculty in 1970, and was named associate dean in 1993.
An internationally recognized researcher on the immunology and microbiology of periodontal disease, he authored numerous research articles, chapters and textbooks in periodontology. He was the recipient of a William Gies Award from the American Academy of Periodontology.
Nisengard, who also served as the dental school’s interim dean from 2000-02, was named a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and Educator of the Year by UB dental students. He was a co-founder of Immco Diagnostics, a reference laboratory specializing in pioneering research into autoimmune diseases.
He retired in 2010.
Nisengard was a member of the American Academy of Periodontology and the International Association for Dental Research.