Dr. Robert Brannon Receives Prestigious U.S. Air Force Appointment

Dr. Robert Brannon, professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, has received a tremendous accolade from the U.S. Air Force Office of the Surgeon General. Dr. Brannon, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, and an internationally recognized expert in oral and maxillofacial pathology and forensic dentistry, has been appointed Civilian National Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology to the Air Force Surgeon General. This three-year appointment is equivalent to the rank of a one-star (brigadier) general. Dr. Brannon is only the third person to hold this position.

Robert B. Brannon, DDS, MSD Clinical Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Civilian National Consultants to the Surgeon General of the Air Force serve as ambassadors to their specialty field. The consultant is expected to advise the Air Force Medical Service on managing the residencies and continuing education programs of the field, to serve as a clinical subject matter expert, and to be a model of officership and professionalism. In carrying out the responsibilities of this high honor, Dr. Brannon will provide advice on advancements that might have an impact on the delivery of health care. He will participate in Air Force sponsored symposia and seminars, contribute to the development of manpower standards, and assist in the development and coordination of Air Force policy and proposed research protocols.

"This rare honor is a fitting tribute to someone recognized by his peers as a giant in the fields of oral and maxillofacial pathology and forensic dentistry," said Dean Henry Gremillion.

Dr. Brannon, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a graduate of Texas Christian University. After receiving his DDS from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1966, he joined the U.S. Air Force and completed a dental internship at Travis AFB, California. He continued his training at Indiana University where he received an MSD in oral and maxillofacial pathology in 1973. During his thirty-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Brannon was a faculty member and chairman of the Department of Oral Pathology and director of forensic dentistry at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He joined the LSU School of Dentistry faculty in 1996.

Dr. Brannon has participated in the dental forensic identification of numerous high-profile mass disasters. Among these are three aircraft accidents, the 1978 Jim Jones mass suicide of 913 people in Jonestown, Guyana, and the 1983 terrorist bombing of the U.S. Marine Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Brannon was the oral pathology consultant during the 1981 repatriation of fifty-two Americans held hostage in Iran during the revolution. He also was a member of the dental forensic identification team in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Dr. Brannon is a life member of the American Dental Association, a fellow of the International College of Dentists, and a member of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, where he has been a fellow since 1974. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, a past director and president of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, and a past president of the Fellowship Committee of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. He has authored or co-authored 130 scientific articles, abstracts and clinical presentations in the fields of oral and maxillofacial pathology and forensic dentistry.

"Dr. Brannon's 47-year career shines a light on serving the needs of America during some of our darkest hours. His work has added substantially to the body of knowledge in the fields of forensics and oral pathology," said Dean Gremillion. “This achievement and his lifetime of achievement also enhance the stature of the LSU School of Dentistry. He can stand tall knowing that he has contributed so much to so many."