Former Chair of Endodontics at both the University of North Carolina and the University of Iowa, and author of multiple peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Eric Rivera is the Jacob B. Freedland Distinguished Associate Professor with tenure at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, where he has also served as Graduate Program Director and Chair of the Department of Endodontics.

He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery with honors from the UNC School of Dentistry, receiving multiple awards for merit and leadership. He went on to complete his specialty training in Endodontics and earned his Master’s Degree at UNC. His early career included a GPR Dental Residency at Charlotte Memorial Hospital, private practice as a general dentist and endodontist in Durham, NC, and academic leadership as Graduate Program Director and Chair of the Department of Endodontics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

Dr. Rivera is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and a Founder and former Director of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics. He is the recipient of the American Association of Endodontists’ 1996 Endodontic Educator Award. Widely recognized for his scholarship, he has published extensively in refereed journals and book chapters, served as Section Editor and on review panels for multiple scientific journals, and presented his research nationally and internationally.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Rivera has blended his academic expertise with active clinical practice. He has provided care through the Endodontic Dental Faculty Practice at UNC, while also maintaining privileges at the UNC Hospital Operating Room, the Durham VA Dental Clinic, and the Central Prison Dental Clinic. He has served as team dentist for all UNC-Chapel Hill men’s and women’s athletic teams and has been recognized as a Top Dentist by peer selection in Chapel Hill Magazine (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).