Benjamin Nero, DDS, an orthodontist who practiced for more than five decades and an education advocate, died Sept. 27 at the age of 89, according to an Oct. 9 report from The Philadelphia Tribune.
In 1967, he became the first Black graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. Dr. Nero later became the first Black dentist to complete the orthodontics residency program at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Dr. Nero began practicing orthodontics in 1971 and treated thousands of patients throughout his career.
In 2010, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry established the Drs. Nero and Biggerstaff Diversity Scholarship Endowment to support dental students and promote greater diversity in the profession, the report said.
