Meet Dr. Simon Prior
Dr. Simon Prior is a dual board certified dentist anesthesiologist. He was born in England and moved with his family to New Zealand at the age of 16. At 22 years old he graduated from the University of Otago School of Dentistry in Dunedin, New Zealand. He showed a keen interest in anesthesiology during the last 2 years of his dental degree and dedicated his 4-month elective in the Department of Anesthesiology at the associated university hospital.
Following graduation he entered private practice spending one year each in New Zealand and England before deciding to settle in Germany, where he hoped to master a second language. Here he tested his German language capabilities by completing a PhD in Anesthesia through the College of Medicine at the University of Mainz, Germany. While presenting a paper at an international meeting, he met Dr. Joel Weaver, one of the founding members of anesthesiology in dentistry in the USA. This prompted him to apply for the Dental/Maxillofacial Anesthesiology Residency Program at The Ohio State University. He completed his residency and graduated with a Masters degree in Anesthesiology after which he continued working in the Anesthesiology Department at the Ohio State College of Medicine for several months. He moved back to New Zealand, working in private practice for 6 years before once again returning to The Ohio State University, this time as a full time faculty member in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Anesthesiology.
His academic career at Ohio State University has focused on teaching and training anesthesiology and maxillofacial surgery residents, but has also included teaching local anesthesia, pharmacology, emergency medicine and the management of emergencies in the dental office to undergraduate and pre-doctoral students.
He left Ohio State University in 2017 as associate professor and program director of the Dental/Maxillofacial Anesthesiology Residency at The Ohio State University Hospitals. Here his clinical responsibilities included the provision of anesthesiology services to adult oral surgery patients, pediatric and special needs patients, as well as medically compromised patients and maxillofacial trauma patients in the hospital environment and operating room setting.
He was actively involved in academic advising, supervising 1-2 master’s level students annually and has published several research articles with the graduating anesthesiology and oral surgery residents, served on the Admissions Committee for applicants to the College of Dentistry and regularly given Local Anesthesia, Nitrous Oxide and Oral Sedation courses at local seminars.
He is a member of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA).
Dr. Prior is a Diplomate of the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology (ADBA) and National Dental Board of Anesthesiology (NDBA), and immediate past Vice-President of Oral Examinations with the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology.
He volunteers as an anesthesiologist with the Free to Smile Foundation on their cleft lip and palate surgical trips every year visiting underserved communities in Guatemala, Niger and Ethiopia.
Dr. Prior has been an anesthesiology provider to thousands of pediatric and adult patients, and, as all anesthesiologists, is certified in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
He enjoys playing the piano, swimming, movies and spending time with his wife hiking, camping and traveling.
Education
- Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), University of Otago, New Zealand (1981)
- Doctorate Degree in Anesthesiology (PhD), University of Mainz, Germany (1995)
- Dental/Maxillofacial Anesthesiology Residency & Master of Science (MS), The Ohio State University (1997)
