Dr. Getty earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Syracuse University in 1974. At the same time he earned a concurrent Bachelor of Science in Forest Zoology with a minor in Botany from the adjacent State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse.
He enrolled in the West Virginia School of Dentistry in 1982 and graduated first in his class in 1985. While at WVU he was active in the student chapter of the AADR, and conducted cleft palate research through the Department of Anatomy in the Medical school.
While a senior at WVU he was given a commission as an officer in the United States Air Force Reserve, which became an active duty commision in Jan. 1986. Prior to starting active duty, he worked as a faculty member at the WVU School of Dentistry for two months after graduation, in the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology.
As a Captain in the USAF, Dr. Getty was assigned to Loring Air Force Base in Maine, and was given extensive training over the next few years. This included oral surgery training at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, and 6 weeks of Periodontal Surgery/Intravenous sedation training at Wilford Hall, the Air Force Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. At Loring AFB, Dr. Getty was assigned to be officer in charge of Infection Control for a new 18 operatory Dental Clinic. He completed his commitment to full time Air Force service in 1988, but remained a part of the Individual Ready Reserve until 1993.
In 1988, Dr. Getty and his family moved to Garrett County, Maryland, and have lived here since then. During the years 1988-1992, Dr. Getty worked as a part-time faculty member at the WVU School of Dentistry in the Dept. of Operative Dentistry, while also working part-time for a local Garrett County dentist. In 1992, he was promoted to full time Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics (Crown and Bridge), and worked with Dr. Jerry Bouquot, Oral Pathologist, in clinical research into painful bone diseases of the maxilla and mandible.
When the opportunity arose in 1992, Dr. Getty bought his present dental practice in Mt. Lake Park, Md. Since then he has had the opportunity to serve the community in meeting general dentistry needs, as well as continuing his work with patients who have diffifult to diagnose, dentally related pain syndromes and diseases. More information is available under "Chronic Pain." He has treated patients who have come from as far away as Brazil to seek help and from many parts of the US.
In 1995, Dr. Getty traveled to Tanzania, East Africa, with a medical/mission group, and worked with local Tanzanian dentists to both treat dental problems from the local population, and also to encourage those who wished to hear the Gospel. He remains an active member of the Christian Medical Dental Association, as well as the American Dental Association, including the Maryland and Allegheny/Garrett component Societies.