Ivan Stojanov said his fondest memories of Westminster Schools of Augusta start with the caring faculty who created a challenging, friendly and safe environment for him to acquire the education that he needed to eventually become an oral and maxillofacial pathologist. 

“All of my teachers' names come to mind,” Ivan, of the Class of 2005, said of his memories of Westminster. “I think of Mr. Merwin, Mrs. Smith, Dr. Nichols and Mr. Rich, among others.” 

Ivan said the fact that he can still remember his teachers by name 15 years after he graduated speaks to the faculty’s dedication to Westminster’s mission and students.

“At Westminster, for the faculty, teaching is not simply a profession or a job, it is a commitment to the success, education and character formation of the students at the school. I am very grateful for their involvement in my life and all the students’ lives.”

Ivan said the education he received at Westminster helped pave the way for him to become a professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at Case Western Reserve University‘s School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine in Cleveland, where he has been actively engaged in teaching and research since 2016. Ivan is also a staff pathologist in the Department of Pathology at University Hospitals, a teaching affiliate of CWRU.

After graduating from Westminster, Ivan attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2009 and was a member of the men’s rowing team.

He then moved back home to Augusta to attend the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry, where he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2013.

After that, he completed his residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the Harvard-hospital system and at the same time obtained a master’s degree in oral biology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Ivan met his wife, Daisy, an endodontist, in Cleveland. The two have been happily married since 2018. Ivan and Daisy are involved in their local church, Scranton Road Bible Church, where Ivan helps teach Sunday school.