Purnima Kumar, DDS, PhD

“We are continually learning new ways to harness the power of plant-based nutrition and supplements – whole foods to support whole health, from the mouth to the gut to the entire body. It’s exciting.”

A member of the Amway Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Purnima Kumar is a respected clinician, teacher, researcher, and thought leader in the fields of oral medicine and microbial ecology. She’s a sought-after scientific expert who also collaborates extensively with the oral healthcare industry to develop therapeutics for microbial modulation, which is the practice of manipulating microbes to improve gut health and overall wellbeing. 

Dr. Kumar dedicates her research on the link between oral health and overall health, which ultimately supports healthspan – the number of years a person is able to enjoy a healthy, active, and independent life. “The mouth is critical to overall health and wellbeing. It’s the gatekeeper for the rest of your body and the primary portal to the gut. The oral cavity creates an invaluable part of the immune system that immensely supports the gut’s ability to help protect your body from infection and disease.”  

Currently, Dr. Kumar is the William and Mary K. Najjar Endowed Professor of Dentistry and Chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She also serves as a Principal Investigator at the University of Michigan Oral Microbial Ecology Laboratory, which has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute for 25 years.  

An author and collaborator on more than 100 papers and book chapters for influential peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Kumar is Senior Editor of Microbiome and Associate Editor of Periodontology 2000. She also served as Co-Editor of Clinical Advances in Periodontics and Associate Editor of the Journal of Periodontology until 2023. Dr. Kumar is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program, the International College of Dentists, the American College of Dentists, the Pierre Fouchard Académie, and the American Association of Oral, Dental, and Craniofacial Research. 

Mentoring the next generation of leaders in medicine is another passion. Dr. Kumar enjoys guiding dental students at all program levels and junior faculty, as well as serving on grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health. She serves on the Continuing Education Oversight Committee for the American Academy of Periodontology and its Taskforce for Future Science, and she is Chair of the American Dental Association’s Council of Scientific Affairs and Immediate Past President of the Periodontal Research Group for the International Association for Dental Research. Dr. Kumar is on the Board of Directors of the Osteology Foundation and the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. She also serves on several task forces for women in science, surgery, and STEM, and proudly volunteers for groups that empower women around the world. 

Dr. Kumar holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in Dentistry from Annamalai University and a Master of Dental Surgery in Periodontology from The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, both in India. She also earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Master in Periodontology from The Ohio State University in the United States. In 2006, she joined the faculty of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry as a Professor of Periodontology, later becoming the Chair of the Oral Biology Ph.D. program. In 2011, she was appointed a Professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, the only cancer program in the U.S. with a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center aligned with a nationally ranked academic medical center and freestanding cancer hospital.