Meet the Doctor

Dr. Vecchione graduated from New York University College of Dentistry in 1978, and was honored with election to the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Society by the dental school faculty. After graduation he served in the United States Air Force Dental Corps as a General Dentist for three years ending in 1981. As in most Armed Services Hospitals, the Oral Surgery Department at USAF Hospital George in San Bernardino, CA was quite busy. Under the tutelage of Dr. John Hankle, a Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr. Vecchione was encouraged to emphasize his interest in that specialty. The end result of his USAF experience was competence in all aspects of general dentistry, and extensive experience in basic oral surgery procedures including removal of impacted teeth and intravenous sedation. As expected, this was excellent preparation for advanced training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Hankle then played the role of mentor once again, guiding Dr. Vecchione toward the best training programs in the country at that time.

Dr. Vecchione moved to Miami, FL as a civilian in 1981, where he completed a one year Residency in Anesthesiology at Jackson Memorial Medical Center, followed by a three year Residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, which he completed in 1985. At that time Jackson Memorial Medical Center functioned as a Level I Trauma Center, well before that designation existed. The Oral Surgery program director, Dr. Stuart N. Kline, wanted one resident per year to be fully trained in Anesthesiology before starting the Oral Surgery program. In this way many of the facial fracture cases inundating the operating room schedule could be managed in the Oral Surgery Suite, allowing more operating room time for other types of surgery. Dr. Vecchione was the resident in his year who was to be fully trained to administer general anesthesia before beginning his oral surgery residency. He chose Dr. Kline’s program over other oral surgery programs to which he had been accepted, because it offered some of the best training available. Considering the nature of contemporary oral surgery practice, in which the office has become the dominant place of service for most oral surgery procedures, it was a year well spent.

As a second year resident in Oral Surgery, Dr. Vecchione was privileged to become part of a new era at Jackson Memorial Medical Center, as Dr. Robert E. Marx returned to the program he once attended as co-director with Dr. Kline. Once in a generation someone comes along who changes the way certain things are done in their specialty, and that is the only way to categorize Dr. Marx. As an author and co-author of numerous publications, a world renowned authority in several areas within the specialty, and a dedicated teacher, his arrival took the program to a new level.

The individuals above are mentioned in recognition of the major influences they represented in shaping Dr. Vecchione’s professional education, his knowledge base, and his approach to patient care.

Dr. Vecchione achieved Certification by The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1987, and he is a Fellow of The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Dr. Vecchione has been practicing Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at his central location within Mercer County since 1988, and has been a member of the hospital staff at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton since that time.

Professional Organizations