NEOUCOM Dentist gives $250K to establish atrium

Dr. Dominic Bitonte conducts license exams at dental schools across the country.
ROOTSTOWN -- Dr. Dominic and Mrs. Helen Bitonte of Columbiana have pledged $250,000 in support to establish the Bitonte Family Atrium in the Ralph Regula Conference Center on the Rootstown campus of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
"We are pleased to provide this gift to an institution that has done so much for our family," Dr. Bitonte said.
The Bitontes, longtime friends of NEOUCOM, have ties to medicine in northeast Ohio. Their daughter, Dr. Dianne Bitonte Miladore, is a graduate of NEOUCOM's charter class, and two sons are area physicians.
The couple was honored by Youngstown State University in 1999 with the naming of the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services.
"We are grateful to the Bitonte family for their enduring NEOUCOM legacy," said Sue Dreitzler, vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the NEOUCOM Foundation.
About the doctor
Dr. Bitonte, though retired from the practice of dentistry, remains active in his profession by conducting license examinations at dental schools across the country and serving various professional organizations.
He currently is a director on corporate boards including Torent Inc., and previously was a director of the board of Mahoning National Bank, which is now Sky Bank.
Helen Bitonte has been involved in several civic, professional and social organizations including the American Cancer Society and Youngstown Symphony Society.
NEOUCOM is a community-based, state medical school that offers a combined bachelor of science/medical degree program with The University of Akron, Kent State University and YSU.