Peter C. Damiano, DDS, MPH
Bernstein Endowed Professor, Dept of Preventive & Community Dentistry
Primary Office
Contact: tina-craig@uiowa.edu
N330 Dental Science Building
801 Newtion Rd
Iowa City, IA 52242
Introduction
After graduating with a DDS from the UI College of Dentistry, Dr. Damiano served as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service's Indian Health Service, providing dental care to members of the Navajo Nation. He received his MPH and completed his training in health services/policy research in UCLA's Robert Wood Johnson Dental Health Services Research Scholars Program.
A UI faculty member for 35 years, Dr. Damiano 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 public policy education. He is the author of more than 300 journal articles and research monographs and has been principal investigator on more than 90 funded research studies. Dr. Damiano saw dental patients, including special needs adults, in the UI faculty practice for 35 years.
Current Positions
- Bernstein Endowed Professor, Dept of Preventive & Community Dentistry
Education
- Certificate, Public Health Service/AHCPR Primary Care Policy Fellowship, Washington, D.C.
- Certificate, Robert Wood Johnson Dental Health Services Research Scholars Program, University of California, Los Angeles and RAND
- Master of Public Health in Public Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles
- DDS in Dentistry, University of Iowa
- BS in General Science, University of Iowa
Center, Program and Institute Affiliations
Selected Awards & Honors
- Bernstein Professorship in Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa
- Dental Educator of the Year, University of Iowa Dental Alumni Association, Iowa City, Iowa
- Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, State of Iowa
- Outstanding Service Award, Iowa Dental Association
- American College of Dentists Award, American College of Dentists (Nominated by Dean David Johnson), Iowa City, Iowa
- Leadership Recognition Award, American Association of Dental Schools
- Primary Care Policy Fellowship, U.S. Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
- Dental Health Services Research Scholars Program, Robert Wood Johnson
- Inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Honorary Dental Society, Omicron Kappa Upsilon
- Commissioned Officer Award, U.S. Public Health Service
Professional Memberships
- American Dental Education Association
- American Association for Dental Research
- Academy Health
- American Public Health Association
- American Association of Public Health Dentistry
- American Dental Association
- Iowa Dental Association
- Iowa Public Health Association
- American College of Dentists
- Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Society
Selected Publications
- Reynolds JC, Comnick C, Heeren T, Damiano PC, Xie X. (2025). Dental Care Use Among Children and Adolescents in Medicaid: Associations with State-Level Medicaid Policy Factors and Provider Availability. Journal of Public Health Dentistry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12662.
- Desai R, Thomas JC, Damiano PC, Reynolds JC. (2025). Teledentistry: During Quarantine Portion of Pandemic and One Year Later. New York, NY: American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Conference.
- Schweiner R, Damiano PC. (2025). Predoctoral Dental Students’ Interest in Practice Management at UIowa. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Section of the AADOCR Conference.
- Pereira Hurtado B, Damiano PC. (2025). Evaluating Dentists’ Perceived Administrative Burden in Iowa’s Medicaid Program. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Section of the AADOCR Conference.
- Obenauf M, Damiano PC. (2025). University of Iowa Dental Student Debt and Career Path Implications. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Section of the AADOCR Conference.
- An J, Lewis S, McInroy B, Owen C, Damiano PC, Leary K, Pendleton C, Reynolds JC. (2025). Medical-Dental Integration at Federally Qualified Health Centers: Facilitators and Barriers. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Section of the AADOCR Conference.
- Sukalski JMC, Reynolds JC, Ingleshwar A, Damiano PC. (2025). Adult Medicaid Members’ Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Association with Dental Care Use. Orlando, FL: National Oral Health Conference.
- Nwachukwu, Pamela; Damiano, Peter; Levy, Steven; Thomas, James C.; Shane, Dan; Singhal, Astha; Dabdoub, Shareef M.; Reynolds, Julie. (2024). "Variation in Dentist Participation between Dental Medicaid Managed Care Organizations". Journal of Public Health Dentistry. http://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12636
- Obenauf M, Damiano PC. (2024). University of Iowa Dental Student Debt and Career Path Implications. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Section of the AADOCR Conference.
- Reynolds P, Karthikeyan K, Sukalski J, McInroy B, Damiano P (2024). Evaluation of the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan: 2023 Survey of Iowa Private Practice Dentists. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa.
Selected Grants & Contracts
- Evaluation of the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan; Iowa Dept of Health and Human Services; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal Investigator)
- The Patient-Centered Dental Home: Develpment of Metrics for Measurement and Accountability; CareQuest Foundation; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal)
- Effectiveness of Kindergarten Vision Screenings in Iowa; Delta Dental Foundation of Iowa; Damiano, Peter Cosimo (Principal Investigator)
- Dental Coverage for Pregnant Women and Parents in Medicaid: Impact on Children’s Access to Dental Care; US Department of Health and Human Services; Damiano, Peter (Co-Investigator)
- Evaluation of geographic variation in pediatric preventive dental services; Damiano, Peter (Co-Investigator)
- Evaluations for the Medicaid Health Home and Integrated Health Home programs; Iowa Dept of Human Services; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal Investigator)
- State innovation models: Evaluation of the Iowa value-based purchasing model; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal Investigator)
- Dental Quality Alliance: Adult Measures Testing; American Dental Association; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal Investigator)
- Evaluation of the Iowa Wellness Plan and Dental Wellness Plan; Iowa Department of Human Services; Damiano, Peter (Co-Principal Investigator)
- Evaluation of the Integrated Health Home (IHH) State Plan Amendment; Iowa Department of Human Services; Damiano, Peter Cosimo (Principal Investigator)