Dr. Bowman’s Background
TRAINING AND PRACTICE HISTORY
At heart, Dr. Bowman is a small town guy. He grew up on a farm in the rural town of Abingdon on the west side of Illinois. He earned a B.A. in Biology at Illinois Wesleyan University. He earned his dental D.M.D. degree at Southern Illinois University-School of Dental Medicine where he was honored with the American Association of Orthodontists Award. Dr. Bowman then completed his residency in the specialty of orthodontics at Saint Louis University Department of Orthodontics where he was class President and received the North American Begg Orthodontic Society Scholarship Award. He began teaching at Southern Illinois University as an Associate Professor prior to moving to Kalamazoo to assume the orthodontic practice of Dr. Eugene Reinstein. Subsequently, he has also taken over the respectable practices of Dr. Richard Purdy and later, Dr. Larry Oberhill, gaining valuable experience and insight in orthodontics with each transition.
BOARD-CERTIFIED ORTHODONTIST
Dr. Bowman is a board-certified and licensed orthodontic specialist. Not only is he a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontists, but he also volunteered to be re-certified, a second time, as a test subject when the ABO revised their examining process in 2004. He has also served on the other side as a member of the Examining Committee of the Eastern Component of the Angle Society of Orthodontists. He has been a member of the Michigan Dental Association Peer Review Panel and he has also received the Southwest Michigan Quality Council Performance Excellence Award for Outcomes Improvement and Contribution to Community.
He is Past-President of the Kalamazoo Valley District Dental Society, serving on the Board of Directors for over a decade. He has received the KVDDS Distinguished Service, Daniel J. Ganz Memorial, and four President’s Awards. Dr. Bowman was also inducted as a Fellow of the both the International and American College of Dentists, the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy International Honor Organization. He received the Edward H. Angle Research Award from The Angle Orthodontist journal for best research. One of Dr. Bowman’s papers, “More Than Lip Service: Facial Esthetics in Orthodontics,” was featured as the Cover Story for the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Teaching Orthodontics
Dr. Bowman is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Orthodontics at Saint Louis University Center of Advanced Dental Education where he was also honored with the Orthodontic Alumni Merit Award in 2005. He developed and has taught the Straightwire Mechanics and Typodont Course at The University of Michigan Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry since 2000. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University Department of Orthodontics and Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Seton Hill University. In addition, Dr. Bowman was invited as a Milton Sims Visiting Professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Dr. Bowman has lectured for over 30 orthodontic residency programs around the world.
- Jay Bowman in Orthotown Magazine
- Jay on the Elevate Orthodontics Podcast
- 638 Controversies in Orthodontics with Jay Bowman
AUTHOR, RESEARCHER, AND HONORS
Dr. Bowman has penned over 150 articles and 19 book chapters in orthodontics. Link to articles list.docx He co-authored and edited the textbook Mini-Implants in Orthodontics: Innovative Anchorage Concepts, described as “the best book available on the subject…it is highly recommended as a required textbook for teaching” in a review from the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. The book has also been translated into Spanish and Portuguese. Dr. Bowman has given over 300 lectures (including 14 “named” honorary lectures) in 39 U.S. states and in 36 countries on 6 continents. In 2009-10, he had the unique experience of speaking for all three of the major North American meetings (American, Canadian, and Mexican Associations of Orthodontics) as well as twice for the World Federation of Orthodontists. Dr. Bowman is a much sought after opinion leader and he has been a consultant for a number of organizations and companies, as well as serving on the Editorial Advisory and Review Boards of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, along with 11 other orthodontic publications.
INNOVATOR AND INVENTOR
Dr. Bowman has been an innovator and inventor in orthodontics. He has developed dozens of orthodontic product concepts, including designing our own signature Butterfly System of braces and associated v-slot auxiliaries. Other concepts he has created include: the Clear Collection of instruments from Hu-Friedy, Class II Combination Therapy, Bowman Consolidator, Monkey Hook and Kilroy Spring for impacted teeth, miniscrew-based auxiliaries (like the Ulysses Spring and TAD bite opener), Aligner Chewies, Retainer Retrievers, WYRED cheek retractors, Double-Up’s, the Quick Fix device, among many other devices. Dr. Bowman is also a recipient of two United States Patents.
Take a look through some of our photos, and click them to see them larger!
ANOTHER SIDE OF DR. JAY
Dr. Bowman considers himself fortunate that his profession has offered the opportunity to travel and give lectures in places he would never have imagined visiting otherwise. Fortunately, Jay’s vocation is also his avocation as he enjoys problem-solving, designing/inventing, writing, collaborating, and talking about orthodontics with colleagues around the world. Jay is also an avid St. Louis Blues and Kalamazoo Wings hockey fan and Formula 1 racing maven.
Jay’s career is reflected in his passions, “I always to be in control of my work environment, select the music I wanted to listen to, and ensure that the daily experience is enjoyable.” Jay is a passionate music fan, having been a radio DJ and music director, once owning a collectible record store, and also playing keyboards in rock bands. Thanks to his close friend, Louie Pérez of the band Los Lobos, Jay is able to occasionally “step behind the curtain” to see the real rock world on the road, traveling with the band, and even having the unique chance to play on-stage with Los Lobos in Italy! “I once told my Mom that when I grow up, I want to be an orthodontist.” She wisely replied, “Sorry, but you can’t do both…”