James K. Hartsfield

Dr. James K. Hartsfield

Lecturer on Developmental Biology, Part-Time
James Hartsfield photo

James K. Hartsfield, Jr., DMD, MS, MMSc, PhD, CDABO, FACMG, FACD, FICD, is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Genetics, and a Founding Fellow in the American College of Medical Genetics.  Dr Hartsfield received his dental degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (1981). He completed a Research Fellowship in Pediatrics (Teratology-Embryology Unit) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (1986) and is a graduate of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) Orthodontic program (1987).  Early in his academic career (1987-1993), Dr. Hartsfield became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics Medical Genetics Division at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, where he served as the Director of the Teratogen Information Service and as a Clinical Geneticist in the Regional Genetics Program. In 1993, he was recruited to become an Associate Professor and the Director of the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) Oral Facial Genetics Division, with a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Indiana University of School of Medicine (IUSM) within the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Hartsfield served as the Acting Chair/Chair of the IUSD Department of Oral Facial Development from 1998-2002, where he provided leadership and oversight to the Divisions of Oral Facial Genetics, Orthodontics, and Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Hartsfield was promoted to Professor of Oral Facial Genetics and Orthodontics with tenure and Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics in 1999.

In 2008, Dr. Hartsfield accepted the E. Preston Hicks Professorship in the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD). He has served as the UKCD Orthodontic and Dentofacial Orthopedics Graduate Residency Program Director during successful accreditation site visits in both 2011 and 2018. He has been a member of the Active Medical Staff for the Kentucky Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs since 2015 and consults on patients referred for developmental anomalies.

Dr. Hartsfield is widely published in the areas of orthodontics and medical genetics. In his career, he has served as the President of the Society of Craniofacial Genetics, the President of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Craniofacial Biology Group, the President of the Midwest component of the EH Angle Society of Orthodontists, and as a member of the Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA) Review Committee on Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Education.

In addition to his tenured Professorship at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Hartsfield is an Adjunct Professor in the IUSD Department of Oral Facial Genetics and IUSM Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, a Clinical Professor in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics, and a Clinical Professor in the University of Western Australia Dental School Division of Oral Development and Behavioural Sciences.  He has served as a Visiting Professor at the HSDM (2019-2021) and became a Lecturer on Developmental Biology in 2021 on a part-time basis. He currently directs and lectures in the OR629 Child Growth and Development course.

Contact Information

Alphabetical listing