American Association For Dental Research Presents Awards, Recognitions

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 11 Mar 2006 - 14:00 PDT

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As part of the Opening Ceremonies of its 35th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, convening today at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, the American Association for Dental Research will present numerous prestigious awards and recognitions. Details follow:

# The AADR Distinguished Scientist Award

This award, presented for outstanding contributions to dental research by an individual who has not served as an AADR Officer, is being given to Sigmund Socransky, of The Forsyth Institute (Boston, MA). The human mouth is a complex ecosystem in which hundreds of different bacterial species compete and cooperate to become established residents. A major focus of the oral microbiologist is to discover which micro-organisms cause disease and to determine the best means to control them. Dr. Socransky and his colleagues have been involved in this "microbe hunt" for years, identifying many species responsible for oral diseases and aiming to define the essential components of a stable, healthy oral microbial community. This award, supported by GlaxoSmithKline, is the highest accolade the AADR can bestow and is given in years when the AADR meets separately from its parent organization, the International Association for Dental Research.

# AADR Honorary Membership

This is bestowed upon Mary Woolley, President, Research!America, in recognition of her significant contributions to dental research. Under her leadership, Research!America's membership has more than quadrupled as it has earned the attention and respect of research, media, and community leaders with its signature public opinion surveys and advocacy resource materials. Ms. Woolley has served as President and CEO of Research!America since 1990. She has a 25-year editorial and publication history on science advocacy and research-related topics. Her op-eds and letters to the editor are published in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast, and she has been published in Science, Nature, Issues in Science and Technology, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Scientist, and other research-oriented periodicals. She is a sought-after speaker and is frequently interviewed by science, news, and policy journalists.

# William J. Gies Awards

These awards, for the best papers published in the Journal of Dental Research, are presented in three categories: Biological, Biomaterials & Bioengineering, and Clinical. The award, named for William J. Gies, founder of the Journal of Dental Research, is supported by the Endowment Fund of the JDR. Nominations may be made by any person, and the papers to be chosen must describe work which has very significantly advanced knowledge in some aspect of dental research. Papers eligible for consideration are those published during the 12-month period (July-June) immediately preceding the AADR Annual Meeting or IADR General Session. The award consists of a cash prize and a plaque. The Gies Award is open to anyone who publishes in the Journal of Dental Research, the official publication of the IADR/AADR.

-- The award in the Biological category is presented to Xiu-Pang Wang, Thomas Åberg, Martyn J. James, Ditsa Levanon, Yoram Groner, and Irma Thesleff, for the paper, "Runx2 (Cbfa1) Inhibits Shh Signaling in the Lower but not Upper Molars of Mouse Embryos and Prevents the Budding of Putative Successional Teeth" [J Dent Res 84(2):138-143, February, 2005].

-- The award in the Clinical category is presented to Alexandre Vieira, Raquel Meira, Adriana Modesto, and Jeffrey Murray, for the paper, "MSX1, PAX9, and TGFA Contribute to Tooth Agenesis in Humans" [J Dent Res 83(9): 723-727, September, 2004]. -- The award in the Biomaterials & Bioengineering category is presented to Atsushi Ohazama, Sonie Modino, Isabelle Miletich, and Paul Sharpe, for the paper, "Stem-cell-based Tissue Engineering of Murine Teeth" [J Dent Res 83(7): 518-522, July, 2004]. (NB: This award will be presented at the IADR General Session in Brisbane, Australia, June 28, 2006.)

# Jack Hein Public Service Award

Presented to Robert (Skip) Collins (Deputy Executive Director, IADR/AADR, Alexandria, VA, USA), this award honors an individual who has given exemplary service in the area of public affairs by consistently promoting the interests and activities of oral health research to a wide constituency. The award is supported by the AADR and consists of a plaque. Previous recipients of the Award are Jack W. Hein (1996), Gertrude Quigley (1997), Christopher Squier (1998), Jay Gershen (1999), Anthony Picozzi (2000), John Crawford (2001), Michael Barnett (2002), Judith Sherman (2003), Michael Alfano (2004), and Linda Niessen (2005).

# William B. Clark Fellowship in Clinical Research

This award is presented to Thomas Oates (University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA). The award, sponsored by the Procter & Gamble Co., is in memory of William B. Clark, the late Professor of Oral Biology and Director of the Periodontal Research Center at the University of Florida.

# National Student Research Group Mentor Award

This award is presented to John Greenspan (University of California - San Francisco, USA), with sincere appreciation for dedication and commitment to mentoring and inspiring the next generation of researchers.

# AADR/Pfizer Hatton Awards Competition, AADR Student Research Fellowship winners, and winners of the Caulk/Dentsply Competition

These will be announced at the meeting and publicized at http://www.dentalresearch.org/ after the meeting.

# Journal of Dental Research "Cover of the Year, 2005"

This new recognition will be presented annually for the cover image that enhances the impact of the article, and is both scientifically novel and aesthetically pleasing. This first presentation is made to C. Du, G.B. Schneider, R. Zaharias, C. Abbott, D. Seabold, C. Stanford, and J. Moradian-Oldak, for the cover image from the paper, "Apatite/Amelogenin Coating on Titanium Promotes Osteogenic Gene Expression" (J Dent Res 84, November, 2005).

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Contact: Linda Hemphill
lhemphill@iadr.org
International & American Association for Dental Research