Dr. Chaconas received his dental degree from Marquette University in 1964, graduating first in his class. After spending two years on active duty with the U.S. Navy Dental Corps, Dr. Chaconas returned to Marquette University where he received his Master of Science degree in anatomy and his specialty certificate in orthodontics in 1968.

In January of 1969, Dr. Chaconas came to UCLA, founded the Orthodontic Department, and was its chairman until 1983. He was one of the first educators in the country to emphasize orthodontics in the dental curriculum. He was chairman of the Orthodontic Section of the American Association of Dental Schools in 1973, and as a delegate, he helped to develop orthodontic curriculum standards.

In 1970, Dr. Chaconas formed the UCLA postdoctoral certificate program, which was one of the first specialty certificate programs in the school’s history. The UCLA program was one of the first in the country to include such topics as craniofacial anomalies, orthognathic surgery, adult orthodontics and the treatment of temporomandibular disorders.

Dr. Chaconas has published over one hundred research abstracts and scientific articles, has authored a textbook that has been translated into four foreign languages, and has co-authored and contributed to four other textbooks.

Dr. Chaconas has presented lectures internationally, in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Japan, Spain and Venezuela. He is a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, an honorary dental society; the International Association for Dental Research; American Association of Orthodontists and its constituent societies; and an honorary member of the Orthodontic Society of Greece and the Parana Orthodontic Society of Brazil. He is a founding member of the Academy for Sports Dentistry, and was its president in 1986. Dr. Chaconas spent twenty years in the U.S. Naval Dental Reserves Program, and is retired with the rank of captain.