Allen W. Cowley, Jr, PhD
President of the TMJ Association
Professor of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin
Dr. Cowley is a renowned research scientist and Professor of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is also the newly elected President of The TMJ Association, succeeding his late wife, Terrie Cowley, the organization’s Co-founder. The TMJ Association advocates for improved research, education, and treatments for temporomandibular disorders (TMJ).
Dr. Cowley’s distinguished research career spans over 400 scientific publications, with foundational contributions to the understanding of hypertension and kidney disease. He has held prestigious leadership roles as President of both the American Physiological Society (APS) and the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS). A career-long research grantee of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Cowley has been honored with the highest awards for scientific excellence from both the American Heart Association and the American Physiological Society.
Throughout his career, Dr. Cowley has significantly contributed to The TMJ Association’s mission. He often accompanied his wife to Washington, D.C., to meet with health agency leaders and legislators. He has been an active member of the TMJA Board of Directors, Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board, and Program Chair for eight international TMJ research meetings co-funded with the NIH since 2001.
Following Terrie Cowley’s passing in July 2024, Dr. Cowley took on the role of President of TMJA. He has been deeply involved in initiatives like the FDA’s TMJ Patient-Led RoundTable and the TMJ Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNET) project, aiming to improve TMD treatments and establish a national TMJ patient registry. Additionally, he is a member of the Forum on Temporomandibular Disorders at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he advocates for increased research funding and better treatment options.
Dr. Cowley is committed to bridging the gap between medical and dental education, promoting collaboration and continuing education among healthcare professionals to improve understanding and treatment of TMJ disorders.