Departments/Faculty>Full-time Faculty Directory

Faculty Information

A. Ross Kerr, DDS, MSD

Clinical Professor
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Medicine
345 E. 24th Street, room 829S
Phone: (212) 998-9885
E-mail: ark3@nyu.edu

Education

MSD, Certificate in Oral Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 1996
DDS, McGill University, Montreal 1989

Honors / Credentials

  • Diplomate, American Board of Oral Medicine
  • Past President, American Academy of Oral Medicine
  • Diamond Pin Award, American Academy of Oral Medicine
  • NYU Distinguished Teaching Award
     

Research Interests / Professional Overview

  • Oral Cancer & Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders
  • Oral Mucosal Diseases
  • Dry Mouth/Xerostomia
     

Current Funding

  • 1R01DE031319-01
    PI: McDevitt
    Proposal dates: 9/1/2021 – 8/31/2026 (funding letter pending)
    NIH/NIDCR

    Oral Dysplasia and Oral Cavity Cancer Risk in Dental and Medical Surveillance Settings Using a Chairside Chip-Based Cytopathology Tool

    The overall objective of this multi-institution prospective longitudinal cohort study is to utilize and optimize the first Point-of-Care Oral Cytopathology Tool (POCOCT). The clinical study will assess the performance of POCOCT for its use in both secondary and tertiary care settings.

    Role: Co-Investigator

  • 1R01DE030169-01A1
    PI: Kang
    Award dates: 8/1/2021 – 7/31/2022
    NIH/NIDCR

    Optimizing Oral Cancer Screening and Precision Management of Potentially Malignant Oral Lesions

    While screening with conventional visual-tactile examination is limited in accuracy, artificial intelligence-assisted precision diagnostics could shift the cancer prevention paradigm toward screening for the broader population if enabling reliable triage of oral lesions for risk-based management. The proposed disease simulation model will evaluate the benefits and harms of harnessing these devices and precision treatment thresholds, guiding translation toward cancer control.

Role: Co-Investigator

Representative Publications

Google Scholar

PubMed

Complete listing available on the NYU Health Sciences Library site.

  1. Scully C, Miller CS, Aguirre Urizar JM, Alajbeg I, Almeida OP, Bagan JV, Birek C, Chen Q, Farah CS, Figueirido JP, Hasséus B, Jontell M, Kerr AR, Laskaris G, Lo Muzio L, Mosqueda-Taylor A, Nagesh KS, Nikitakis NG, Peterson D, Sciubba J, Thongprasom K, Tovaru Ş, Zadik Y. Oral medicine (stomatology) across the globe: birth, growth, and future. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2016;121(2):149-157.PMID: 26792755
  2. Vasconcelos RM, Sanfilippo N, Paster BJ, Kerr AR, Li Y, Ramalho L, Queiroz EL, Smith B, Sonis ST, Corby PM. Host-Microbiome Cross-talk in Oral Mucositis. J Dent Res. 2016;95(7):725-33. PMID: 27053118
  3. Lodi G1, Franchini R, Warnakulasuriya S, Varoni EM, Sardella A, Kerr AR, Carrassi A, MacDonald LC, Worthington HV. Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;7:CD001829. PMID: 27471845
  4. Warnakulasuriya S, Kerr AR. Oral submucous fibrosis: a review of the current management and possible directions for novel therapies. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2016;122(2):232-41. PMID: 27422422
  5. Abram TJ, Floriano PN, Christodoulides N, James R, Kerr AR, Thornhill MH, Redding SW, Vigneswaran N, Speight PM, Vick J, Murdoch C, Freeman C, Hegarty AM, D'Apice K, Phelan JA, Corby PM, Khouly I, Bouquot J, Demian NM, Weinstock YE, Rowan S, Yeh CK, McGuff HS, Miller FR, Gaur S, Karthikeyan K, Taylor L, Le C, Nguyen M, Talavera H, Raja R, Wong J, McDevitt JT. Cytology-on-a-chip' based sensors for monitoring of potentially malignant oral lesions. Oral Oncol. 2016;60:103-11. PMID: 27531880
  6. Curado MP, Johnson NW, Kerr AR, Mendonca e Silva DR, Lanfranchi H, Pereira DL, Fonseca FP, Lopes MA, Kowalski LP, Vargas PA. Oral and oropharynx cancer in South America: Incidence, mortality trends and gaps in public databases as presented to the Global Oral Cancer Forum. Translational Research in Oral Oncology 2016;1:1–7
  7. Wolff A, Joshi RK, Ekstrom J, Aframian D, Pedersen AML, Proctor G, Narayana N, Villa A, Sia YW, Aliko A, McGowan R, Kerr AR, Beier Jensen S, Vissink A, Dawes C. A Guide to Medications Inducing Salivary Gland Dysfunction, Xerostomia, and Subjective Sialorrhea: A Systematic Review Sponsored by the World Workshop on Oral Medicine VI Drugs RD, 2017 Mar;17(1):1-28. doi: 10.1007/s40268-016-0153-9
  8. Cheong SC, Vatanasapt P, Yi-Hsin Y, Zain RB, Kerr AR, Johnson NW. Oral Cancer in South East Asia: Current Status and Future Directions. Translational Research in Oral Oncology 2017;1:1–9. doi: 10.1177/2057178X17702921
  9. Lingen MW, Abt E, Agrawal Nl, Chaturvedi AK, Cohen E, D’Souza G, Gurenlian J, Kalmar JL, Kerr AR, Lambert PM, Patton LL, Sollecito TP, DMD, Truelove E, Tampi MP, Urquhart O, Banfield L, Carrasco-Labra A. Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the evaluation of potentially malignant disorders in the oral cavity: A report of the American Dental Association. JADA 2017:148(10):712-727. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2017.07.032.
  10. Lingen MW, Tampi MP, Urquhart O, Abt E, Agrawal Nl, Chaturvedi AK, Cohen E, D’Souza G, Gurenlian J, Kalmar JL, Kerr AR, Lambert PM, Patton LL, Sollecito TP, Truelove E, Banfield L, Carrasco-Labra A. Adjuncts for the evaluation of potentially malignant disorders in the oral cavity. Diagnostic test accuracy systematic review and meta-analysis—a report of the American Dental Association. JADA 2017:148(11):797-813.
  11. Nadeau C, Kerr AR. Evaluation and Management of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders. Dental Clinics of North America. 2017 Dent Clin North Am. 2018 62(1):1-27. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2017.08.001.
  12. Wolff A, Joshi RK, Ekstrom J, Aframian D, Pedersen AML, Proctor G, Narayana N, Villa A, Sia YW, Aliko A, McGowan R, Kerr AR, Beier Jensen S, Vissink A, Dawes C. A Guide to Medications Inducing Salivary Gland Dysfunction, Xerostomia, and Subjective Sialorrhea: A Systematic Review Sponsored by the World Workshop on Oral Medicine VI. Tandläkartidningen 2018;110 (2):56–66
  13. Wolff A, Joshi RK, Ekstrom J, Aframian D, Pedersen AML, Proctor G, Narayana N, Villa A, Sia YW, Aliko A, McGowan R, Kerr AR, Beier Jensen S, Vissink A, Dawes C. A Guide to Medications Inducing Dry Mouth and Sialorrhea: A Guide Released by the World Workshop on Oral Medicine VI. J Israel Dent Assoc 2018:35(1):3-10
  14. Villa A, Menon RS, Kerr AR, De Abreu Alves F, Guollo A, Ojeda D, Woo SB. Proliferative leukoplakia: Proposed new clinical diagnostic criteria. Oral Diseases 2018:24(5):745-60 doi: 10.1111/odi.12830.
  15. Wolff A, Joshi RK, Ekstrom J, Aframian D, Pedersen AML, Proctor G, Narayana N, Villa A, Sia YW, Aliko A, McGowan R, Kerr AR, Beier Jensen S, Vissink A, Dawes C. Medicaments and oral healthcare. Systematic review of the -literature assessing the effect of drugs on the salivary glands. Nederlands tijdschrift voor tandheelkunde. 2018:125(11):593-601.doi: 10.5177/ntvt.2018.11.18203
  16. Zhanga L-W, Lia J, Cong X, Hua X-S, Lia D, Wu L-L, Hua H, Yu G-Y, Kerr AR. Incidence and mortality trends in oral and oropharyngeal cancers in China, 2005–2013 Cancer Epidemiology 2018;57:120–126 doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2018.10.014
  17. Rindal DB, Gilbert G, Carcelén C, Funkhouser E, Durand E, Uppgaard DA, Fellows J, Ikeda J, Kerr AR, Brar B, Gordan VV, Agarwal S, Barnett P, Pickard RK, Gillison M; National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Feasibility and acceptance of oral human papillomavirus detection in the dental office: Results from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. JADA. 2019 Feb;150(2):130-139 doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2018.10.022
  18. Abram TJ, Floriano PN, James R, Kerr AR, Thornhill MH, Redding SW, Vigneswaran N, Raja R, McRae MP, McDevitt JT. Development of a cytology-based multivariate analytical risk index for oral cancer. Oral Oncology 2019;92:6-11 (# 3758992)
  19. Psoter WJ, Morse DE, Kerr AR, Tomar SL, Aguilar ML, Harris DR, Stone LH, Makhija SK, Kastei LM, Strumwasser B, Pihlstrom DJ, Masterson EE, Meyerowitz C, National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group. Oral cancer examinations and lesion discovery as reported by U.S. general dentists: findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Preventive Medicine 2019; 124:117–123
  20. Kerr AR, Greenberg MS, Hodgson T, Jensen SB, Lockhart PB, Lodi G, Peterson DE. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Editorial. Oral Diseases 2019;25(Suppl. 1):1–7
  21. Brailo V, McKnight P, Kerr AR, Lodi G, Lockhart PB. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: What participants perceive as important. Oral Diseases 2019;25 Suppl 1:8-11. doi: 10.1111/odi.13091.
  22. Varoni EM, Bavarian R; Robledo-Sierra J, Porat Ben-Amy D, Wade WG, Paster B, Kerr AR, Peterson DE, Frandsen Lau E. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Targeting the microbiome for oral medicine specialists-Part 1. A methodological guide. Oral Diseases 2019; 25 Suppl 1:12-27 (# 3902882)
  23. Robledo-Sierra J, Ben-Amy DP, Varoni E, Bavarian R; Simonsen JL, Paster BJ, Wade WG, Kerr AR, Peterson DE, Frandsen Lau E. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Targeting the oral microbiome Part 2: Current knowledge on malignant and potentially malignant oral disorders. Oral Diseases 2019; 25 Suppl 1:28-48 (# 3902852)
  24. Pentenero M, Bowers L, Jayasinghe R, Cheong SC, Farah CS, Kerr AR, Alevizos I. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Functional pathways involving differentially expressed lncRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Diseases 2019; 25 Suppl 1:79-87 (#3902832)
  25. Pentenero M, Bowers LM, Jayasinghe R, Yap T, Cheong SC, Kerr AR, Farah CS, Alevizos I. World Workshop on Oral Medicine VII: Clinical evidence of differential expression of lncRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A scoping review. Oral Diseases 2019;25 Suppl 1:88-101. doi: 10.1111/odi.13076.
  26. Rao NR, Villa A, More CB, Jayasinghe RD, Kerr AR, Johnson NW. Oral submucous fibrosis: a contemporary narrative review with a proposed interprofessional approach for an early diagnosis and clinical management. J Otolaryngol Head and Neck Surg 2020;49:3 (epub ahead of print)
  27. McRae MP, Modak SS, Simmons GW, Trochesset, DA, Kerr AR, Thornhill MH, Redding SW, Vigneswaran N, Kang SK, Christodoulides NJ, Murdoch C, Dietl SJ, Markham R, McDevitt JT. Point-of-Care Oral Cytology Tool for the Screening and Assessment of Potentially Malignant Oral Lesions. Cancer Cytopath 2020;0:1-14.
  28. Dillenberg J, Kerr AR, Koskan A, Patel S, Duong ML. How can Dental Practitioners Join the Fight Against HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer? Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2020;41(2):72-3
  29. Kerr AR, Robinson ME, Meyerowitz C, Morse DE, Aguilar ML, Tomar SL, Guerrero L, Caprio D, Kaste LM, Makhija SK, Mungia R, Rasubala L, Psoter WJ. Cues used by dentists in the early detection of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant lesions: findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2020;130(3):264-72. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2020.05.007.
  30. Welikala RA, Remagnino P, Lim JH, Chan CS, Rajendran S, Kallarakkal TG, Zain RB, Jayasinghe RD, Rimal J, Kerr AR, Amtha R, Patil K, Tilakaratne WM, Gibson J, Cheong SC, and Barman SA. Automated Detection and Classification of Oral Lesions using Deep Learning for Early Detection of Oral Cancer. IEEE Access 2020. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3010180. Online ahead of print.
  31. Ojeda D, Huber MA, Kerr AR. Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Cavity Cancer. Dermatologic Clinics. 2020 38(4):507-521 doi: 10.1016/j.det.2020.05.011. PMID: 32892859
  32. Bhattacharya A, Janal MN, Veeramachaneni R, Dolgalev I, Dubeykovskaya Z, Tu NH, Kim H, Zhang S, WuAK, Hagiwara M, Kerr AR, DeLacure MD, Schmidt BL, Albertson DG. Oncogenes overexpressed in metastatic oral cancers from patients with pain: potential pain mediators released in exosomes. Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 7;10(1):14724. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71298-y. PMID: 32895418
  33. McRae MP, Kerr AR, Janal MN, Thornhill MH, Redding SW, Vigneswaran N, Kang SK, Niederman R, Christodoulides NJ, Trochesset DA, Murdoch C, Dapkins I, McGuff HS, Bouquot J, Modak SS, Simmons GW, McDevitt JT. Nuclear F-actin Cytology in Oral Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, JDR, 2020. doi: 10.1177/0022034520973162 PMID: 33179547
  34. Warnakulasuriya S, Kujan O, Aguirre-Urizar JM, Bagan JV, González-Moles MA, Kerr AR, Lodi G, Mello F, Monteiro L, Odell EW, Ogden GR, Sloan P, Johnson NW. Oral potentially malignant disorders: nomenclature and classification. Oral Diseases. 2020. doi: 10.1111/odi.13704 PMID: 33128420
  35. Kang SK, Mali RD, Braithwaite RS, Kerr AR, McDevitt J. Point-of-care characterization and risk-based management of oral lesions in primary dental clinics: A simulation model. PLOS ONE. 2020;15(12):1-15. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244446 PMID: 33382762
  36. Welikala RA, Remagnino P, Lim JH, Chan CS, Rajendran S, Kallarakkal TG, Zain RB, Jayasinghe RD, Rimal J, Kerr AR, Amtha R, Patil K, Tilakaratne WM, Gibson J, Cheong SC, and Barman SA. Fine-Tuning Deep Learning Architectures for Early Detection of Oral Cancer. In: Bebis G., Alekseyev M., Cho H., Gevertz J., Rodriguez Martinez M. (eds) Mathematical and Computational Oncology. ISMCO 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12508. Springer, Cham. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64511-3_3
  37. Warnakulasuriya S, Kerr AR. Oral cancer screening, past, present and future. JDR. 2021. doi: 10.1177/00220345211014795 PMID: 34036828
  38. Walsh T, Macey R, Kerr AR, Lingen MW, Ogden GR, Warnakulasuriya S. Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident lesions. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Jul 20;7:CD010276. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010276.pub3. PMID: 34282854.
  39. Kerr AR, Lodi G. Management of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders. Oral Diseases. 2021. doi:10.1111/odi.13980, PMID: 34324758