West Virginia University Potomac State College Alumnus Paul E. Gates, DDS, was honored by his alma mater with the inscription of his name on the Duke Anthony Whitmore/Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Academic Achievement Wall, during the College’s 84th Recognition Day Awards ceremony.
Gates earned an associate degree at Potomac State College in 1964, a bachelor’s degree at WVU in 1966, and a D.D.S. from the WVU School of Dentistry in 1970. He completed his internship and residency in oral surgery at Harlem Hospital & Medical Center before receiving his board certification from the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in 1975. He then earned an M.B.A. in management from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1992.
Gates served as chairman of the Department of Dentistry and as director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center for 29 years, as well as chairman of Dentistry for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center.
He has held several teaching positions, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Fairleigh Dickinson University, the Institute of Leadership Studies, and Columbia University School of Dentistry. Gates was honored in 2021 by the ADEAGies Foundation for achievements as a dental educator.
He was inducted as a Distinguished Practitioner of Dentistry by the National Academies of Practice and has received more than 30 HRSA-funded oral health related grants over the years. Gates also delivered a presentation at the NYU School of Dentistry for the 2024 celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In 1999, Gates was named as one of the Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century and was honored by Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare. He was also recognized by WVU Potomac State College in 1999 as an Alumni Achievement honoree.