Matthew J. Kesterke, PhD, MA

Biography

Career History

• Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (2018-present)
• Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (2016-2017)
• Teaching Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh (2012-2016)
• Albany County Coroner’s Office, Laramie, WY (2007-2010)

Teaching Interests

Teaching responsibilities include: Human Gross Anatomy, Human Growth and Development, Advanced Head and Neck Anatomy, Evidence-based Dentistry, Human Craniofacial Development and Anomalies

Research Interests

Prior to joining the teaching faculty at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dr. Kesterke spent nearly a decade as a coroner and anthropologist excavating and investigating human remains in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. During this time, his research focused on skeletal features used in identifying individuals and the role of climate, disease, and/or genetics in shaping human variation and methods for quantifying and evaluating this variation.

This trajectory led him to his Ph.D. topic investigating the role of maternal thyroid hormone levels on offspring craniofacial variation using geometric morphometric (GM) analysis and Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA) to look at both size and shape changes during growth and development. This research continues in identifying causes of variation, ranging from histological and anthropometric studies of bone samples excavated in the Middle East and China to quantifying and identifying sexually dimorphic craniofacial features in early childhood.

Currently, Dr. Kesterke is also working to develop 3D facial imaging techniques and facial tracking methods for assessing impacts of trauma, disease, and dysfunction on craniofacial variation, surgical interventions, and therapeutic outcomes.

Selected Publications and Profile

• B Trivedi, MJ Kesterke, R Bhattacharjee, W Weber, K Mynar, LV Reddy. Craniofacial injuries seen with the introduction of bicycle-share electric scooters in an urban setting. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 77 (11): 2292-2297, 2019.
• Kesterke, MJ, G Sankaranarayanan, M Sautter, R Bhattacharya, R Bhattacharjee, A Read-Fuller, LV Reddy. Saving face: the role of artificial intelligence in evaluating craniofacial variation in the treatment of orofacial dysfunction. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 168: 123-124, 2019.
• Kesterke, MJ, MA Judd. A microscopic evaluation of Paget’s disease of bone from a Byzantine monastic crypt in Jordan. American Journal of Paleopathology 24: 293-298, 2019. 
• H Zhang, L Li, MJ Kesterke, Y Lu, C Qin. High-phosphate diet improved the skeletal development of Fam20c-deficient mice. Cells, Tissues, Organs 208 (12), 25-26, 2019.
• C Ducote, MJ Kesterke, R Bhattacharjee, A Read-Fuller, LV Reddy. Macroglossia secondary to lisinopril-induced acute angioedema. Baylor University Medical Proceedings 32 (1): 70-72, 2019.
• Kesterke, MJ, Z Raffensperger, CL Heike, ML Cunningham, JT Hecht, CH Kau, NL Nidey, LM Moreno, GL Wehby, ML Marazita, SM Weinberg. Using the 3D Facial Norms Database to investigate craniofacial sexual dimorphism in healthy children. Biology of Sex Differences, 7 (23), 2016.
• Kesterke, MJ, MA Judd, MP Mooney, MI Siegel, J Cray, M Elsalanty, N Howie, SM Weinberg. Maternal environment and craniofacial growth: geometric morphometric analysis of mandibular shape changes associated with in utero thyroxine overexposure in mice. Journal of Anatomy 233 (1), 46-54, 2018. 
• Weinberg, SM, ZD Raffensperger, MJ Kesterke, CL Heike, ML Cunningham, JT Hecht, CH Kau, JC Murray, GL Wehby, LM Moreno, MZ Marazita. The 3D Facial Norms Database: Part 1. Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Journal, 56 (3): e185-e197, 2016.