Research/Areas of Interest
Dr. Zavras research interests include three major foci: i) developing clinical innovations and solutions; ii) health services research and iii) oral epidemiology, including the molecular epidemiology of oral epithelial cancer, bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw, and early childhood caries. Dr. Zavras has conducted the first genome-wide association study of BRONJ to discover regions of genetic susceptibility. His contributions to clinical innovation include two patents by the USPTO and the European Patent Office on early cancer diagnosis and the care of persons receiving antiresorptive bone medications.
Dr. Zavras focus on health services research is on healthcare delivery optimization. Using advanced data analytics, he has performed efficiency analysis of a large network of primary care clinics serving 6 million individuals, has investigated the economics of the Age 1 visit as well as the economics of early cancer detection. He currently utilizes machine learning methods to optimize operations at the Tufts Special Care Clinics and improve triaging for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Dr. Zavras has authored over 80 scientific publications and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals, and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.
Education
- Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, NY, United States, 2012
- Doctorate of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology / Epidemiology (DMedSc), Harvard Faculty of Medicine, United States, 1999
- Master of Science in Epidemiology (MS), Harvard School of Pub Health, USA, 1994
- Doctorate of Dental Medicine (DMD), University of Athens, GRC, 1991