Dr. Shaefer is a general dentist with a board certification in orofacial pain and general dentistry. As the  director of the Orofacial Pain Clinic at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), he maintains a dental practice where he treats facial pain, temporomandibular disorders, and sleep apnea (sleep disruption), and conducts restorative dentistry. He teaches pain and anxiety management, emergency medicine for dentists, and the post-graduate Pharmacology course. 

At Mass General - Boston, Dr. Shaefer serves as assistant professor in the OMS Department and director of the Post-Doctoral Orofacial Pain Fellowship. At his Boston clinic, he specializes in facial pain, temporomandibular disorders, and sleep apnea. At Mass General - Danvers, Dr. Shaefer cares for patients with sleep apnea.

Before joining Harvard, Shaefer built 22 years of dental practice and leadership experience in the USAF Dental Corps. He was one of two TMJ/orofacial pain specialists in the Air Force and the chief of the TMD and Orofacial Pain Clinic at Keesler Medical Center, the Air Force's second largest medical center.

Before his fellowship, Shaefer served in Europe for 7 years as a base dental surgeon (chief dentist), deputy medical facility commander, and medical facility commander.

Shaefer is a diplomat of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the Federal Services Board of General Dentistry, and the Academy of General Dentistry. He is a member of the International Association of Dental Research, the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the American Pain Society, and the Academy of General Dentistry. He maintains an active dental license in Massachusetts.

With Shaefer as co-PI, HSDM was selected by the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium as one of 12 US health professional schools to serve as Centers of Excellence in Pain Education. HSDM was the only dental school chosen as the lead institution.

Fields of Interest

 Dr. Shaefer's clinical interests include facial pain, fixed and removable oral devices, and temporomandibular joint disease.