Redefining how Dentists Approach Dentistry
The Spear Faculty: Outstanding clinicians, trusted colleagues and exceptional educators representing the most respected minds in dentistry today.
Resident Faculty
The Spear Faculty has influenced practitioners throughout the world, enabling them to provide better patient care and enjoy greater success in their practices.
Focused on patient-centric dental healthcare, advanced clinical techniques and enhanced business acumen, each Spear Education instructor provides a unique perspective to dental treatment plans, diagnosis and lab work.
Frank Spear
As co-founder and director of Spear Education, Dr. Spear continues to be recognized as one of the premier educators in esthetic and restorative dentistry in the world. His accolades include numerous awards, including Distinguished Alumnus recognition at his alma maters and the first-ever Charles Pincus-Ronald Goldstein Lifetime Achievement Award in Esthetic Dentistry from the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry in 2018.
Robert Winter
As one of the world's most recognized prosthodontists and ceramists, Dr. Winter teaches dentists in Spear Workshops to understand the interdependence between laboratory procedures, treatment planning, restorative techniques, materials and laboratory procedures. He also produces Spear Study Club modules, creates clinical content for the Spear learning ecosystem, and has taught more than 900 didactic, clinical and technical courses in more than 40 countries.
Greggory Kinzer
A gifted academician and clinician, Dr. Kinzer's interdisciplinary approach to dentistry is founded in empirical research and clinical experience. His unique ability to impart complex clinical processes in a logical, systematic and understandable way differentiates him from other dental educators of our time. He maintains a private practice in Seattle limited to comprehensive restorative and esthetic dentistry.
Jim Janakievski
Jim Janakievski received his D.D.S. from the University of Toronto, which was followed by a general practice residency. After several years in general practice, he completed his post-graduate training at the University of Washington, where he received a certificate in Periodontology with a M.S.D. degree and a fellowship in Prosthodontics.
Ricardo Mitrani
Dr. Mitrani has authored many scientific articles and chapters in textbooks on implant prosthodontics and esthetic dentistry. He has given more than 500 lectures in 30 countries, maintains a private practice in Mexico City limited to prosthodontics and implants, serves as an instructor in Spear Seminars, frequently contributes to Spear Digest, and develops numerous lessons for Spear Online.
Mike Skramstad
Dr. Skramstad is a 2000 graduate of the University Of Minnesota School Of Dentistry. He is a certified advanced Digital Dentistry trainer and has lectured internationally on technology, implantology and digital dentistry.
Darin Dichter
Dr. Dichter brings nearly 20 years of clinical, research and teaching experience — as a general practitioner and prosthodontist — to his position with Spear. He serves as an instructor in the 'Treating the Terminal Dentition and Fully Edentulous Patient' seminar, in addition to Spear Workshops, and has also taught at his alma mater, Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry.
Michael Gunson
An instructor in Spear’s 'Interdisciplinary Treatment of Esthetic Dilemmas' seminar, Dr. Gunson examines and treats thousands of patients with esthetic, functional and sleep conditions. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon’s world-renowned practice in Santa Barbara, California, is limited to facial esthetics and reconstruction, providing orthognathic and esthetic surgical treatments that help patients achieve optimal oral health.
Jeffrey Bonk
With more than three decades of dental experience, Dr. Bonk is devoted to sharing his knowledge and skills of advanced restorative dentistry. He joined Spear in 2009 as a member of the Anterior Live Patient Faculty and now serves as an instructor in the 'Restorative Design' workshop. He lectures nationally about advanced restorative dentistry.
Jeff Rouse
Dr. Rouse is recognized as a pioneer in the field of airway prosthodontics — the impact that a compromised airway has on the stomatognathic system. Along with fellow Spear Resident Faculty member Dr. Greggory Kinzer, he developed the "Seattle Protocol" to recognize, control and direct resolution of airway distress in a restorative dental practice.
Jim McKee
Dr. McKee has maintained a private practice in Downers Grove, Illinois, since 1984 and has experience treating a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured extensively for more than 25 years.
Lou Berman
Dr. Berman, a Maryland-based endodontist of 35 years, serves as an instructor in Spear’s 'Mastering the Exceptional Specialist Practice – Endodontists' workshop. He also develops Spear Study Club modules and other endodontist-focused content for the Spear learning ecosystem.
Aimee Fletcher
After helping to develop Spear Masters Program at its inception, Ms. Fletcher innovated its expansion as product manager and now serves as faculty. She has also served as a Spear Study Club advisor and marketing manager, giving her a deep understanding of Spear’s educational principles. Ms. Fletcher is skilled at developing corporate trainings and has taught continuing education courses in customer service and finance.
Amy Morgan
Ms. Morgan joined Spear in 2018 as Vice President of Consulting Strategy. For more than 25 years as a consultant and trainer, and as former CEO of Pride Institute — a nationally acclaimed, practice management consulting company — she and her teams have revitalized thousands of dental practices using management systems proven to help dentists become more secure, efficient and profitable.
Rebecca Bockow
Dr. Bockow is a board-certified orthodontist and periodontist who lectures internationally on topics ranging from interdisciplinary treatment planning to airway and sleep disorders, skeletal growth and development, and corticotomy-facilitated orthodontic therapy. She is an instructor in Spear’s 'Interdisciplinary Treatment of Esthetic Dilemmas' seminar and maintains a Seattle-area private practice limited to orthodontics and periodontics.
Jason Smithson
Jason Smithson is an internationally renowned cosmetic and reconstructive dentist formerly of London’s Harley Street Medical District, he is now based in St Agnes, Cornwall where he offers dentistry, dental-education and medico-legal expert witness services
Matthew Chesler
Dr. Matthew Chesler is a native of Wayzata, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities. After high school, he left the “frozen tundra” behind for sunnier days in Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at UCSD and then moved on to USC School of Dentistry for his DDS degree in 2004.
Jamison Spencer
Dr. Jamison Spencer is the director of the Craniofacial Pain Center of Idaho in Boise and the Craniofacial Pain Center of Colorado in Denver.
Mark Ludlow
Dr. Mark Ludlow is the Section Head of Implant Dentistry, Digital Dentistry, and Removable Prosthodontics at the University of Utah School of Dentistry.
Tyler Rathburn
Dr. Tyler Rathburn is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia (GO HOOS!) where he earned a BA in Religious Studies in 2009. Dr. “Tyler” earned his DMD degree at the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University) in 2013 and his orthodontic certificate from MCG in 2015.
Victoria Farr
Dr. Farr brings a distinctive perspective to Spear Education, drawing upon her extensive experience of more than thirty years managing a thriving dental practice in Northern California.
Curt Ringhofer
Dr. Ringhofer is currently an instructor in the Occlusion Workshop, sharing his knowledge on the connection between occlusion and predictable dentistry.
Effie Habsha
Dr. Effie Habsha received her Bachelor of Science degree and earned her DDS degree from the Uni-versity of Toronto. Upon graduation, she completed a one-year General Practice Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, ON. Dr. Habsha lectures both nationally and internationally on various Prosthodontic topics and maintains a private practice limited to Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry in Toronto.
Kimberly Schlam
Dr. Kimberly Schlam is a private practice prosthodontist in Bend, Oregon. Her practice focuses on patient centric, multi-specialty, collaborative care. Her research has focused on patient reported quality of life outcomes of implant prosthetics. She focuses on using digital technology to improve techniques, communication, and enhance her patients’ experiences. Dr. Schlam received her dental training from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and her Certificate of Prosthodontics and Master’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill. She has also served as an active duty US Army prosthodontist.
Visiting Faculty
Spear Education Visiting Faculty are doctors who volunteer extensive time and energy to the pursuit of excellence through continuing education.
They attend multiple Spear Education courses as participants, and commit significant time and resources to facilitate the learning of others through service as mentors and leaders in our courses. In addition, they share their journeys and experiences by completing and submitting a complete case report each year, adding to the educational resources available to each of us through Spear Education.
We value and appreciate their knowledge, their skills, their time, and their passion for continued learning.