Oral Pathology Consultants was founded in the mid-1960s at the University of Detroit dental school by Dr. Fred Wertheimer.  In 1973, Dr. Richard Wesley joined Dr. Wertheimer in the oral pathology practice at the university.  After Dr. Wertheimer left the University of Detroit dental school, Dr. Wesley provided educational and histologic services for several years as the only oral pathologist at the University of Detroit-Mercy dental school.  Dr. Wesley was joined in the early 1990’s by Dr. Richard “Dick” Courtney, after Dr. Courtney retired from academia at the University of Michigan in 1991.  Dr. Wesley and Dr. Courtney practiced together at the University of Detroit-Mercy until 1996 when they moved the practice from the dental school to St. John Hospital in Detroit.  Dr. Courtney fully retired from practice, both academic and private practice oral and maxillofacial pathology, in 2000.  After Dr. Courtney’s full retirement, Dr. Wesley continued as a solo practitioner at St. John Hospital for nearly 10 years.  In 2011, after completing his oral pathology resident training, Dr. Brent Accurso joined Dr. Wesley at Oral Pathology Consultants. Dr. Accurso purchased the practice from Dr. Wesley in 2017, and Dr. Wesley retired soon after from Oral Pathology Consultants in 2018. That same year, Dr. Accurso moved the practice to St. Joseph Mercy-Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, MI after nearly 25 years at St. John Hospital. In 2019, after separating from active-duty Air Force, Dr. Brent Martin joined Dr. Accurso as a partner in the practice at St. Joseph Mercy-Oakland where they continue to work together today.  After more than six decades, Oral Pathology Consultants represents one of the longest standing and largest private oral pathology labs in the country, offering traditional oral pathology and consultation services.  In addition to the biopsy service, Dr. Accurso and Dr. Martin teach a number of specialty training programs in the area, as well as dentist and dental specialists across the country.

For more information about oral pathology click HERE.  If you are interested in the history of oral pathology beyond Oral Pathology Consultants, click HERE for a detailed look at the American Academy of Oral Pathology 1946 – 1987.