Dr. Sunil Kapila DDS, MS, PhD

Dr. Sunil Kapila is Professor and Chair of Orthodontics at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he also serves as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Operations. He obtained his dental degree at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, an MS in orthodontics at University of Oklahoma as a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar, and a PhD in Oral Biology from University of California San Francisco. Dr. Kapila is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Kapila has received several research and clinical awards including the American Association for Dental Research’s Hatton Award, the American Association of Orthodontist’s (AAO) Milo Hellman Award, and the B.F. Dewel Honorary Research Award and named the Burstone Fellow by the AAO Foundation. He has also been recognized for his contributions to orthodontics as the 2013 AAO Jacob A. Salzmann Lecturer and the 2022 Edward H. Angle Award Lecturer. Dr. Kapila’s NIH-funded research focuses on the hormonal basis for TMJ degeneration and periodontal bone biology. Besides authoring numerous manuscripts and chapters, he has published two textbooks “Current Therapy in Orthodontics” and “Cone Beam Computed Tomography in Orthodontics.” Dr. Kapila is also Chair of AAO's Inclusion and Engagement Task Force.