ADEAGies Foundation Announces Inaugural William J. Gies Awards For Vision, Innovation, And Achievement

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 05 Sep 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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The ADEAGies Foundation announced the launch of the William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement. Named after William J. Gies, a pioneer in dental education, "The Gies Awards" will be the preeminent recognition of contributions to and support of global oral health and education initiatives. The Gies Awards will be presented annually at a highly anticipated celebration in conjunction with the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition. The 85th ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition will be held March 29 through April 2, 2008, in Dallas, Texas; the Gies Awards will take place on March 29, 2008.

"Global oral health and education wouldn't be what they are today without William J. Gies. His legacy is an inspiration for dental educators everywhere, as we expect these new awards will be," added Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H., President of the ADEAGies Foundation and Executive Director of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

The ADEAGies Foundation will honor deserving people and entities that carry forward William J. Gies' legacy of vision, innovation, and achievement. The honorees will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges consisting of the ADEAGies Board of Trustees. Bestowed at a black-tie dinner celebration, the Gies Awards will offer significant visibility both within and outside the dental education community, drawing much needed attention to the essential role of dental education and educators in enhancing global oral health and education.

"For more than 50 years, the ADEAGies Foundation has set the bar for dental education around the world. With the William J. Gies Awards, we're pleased to set it even higher - and, in the process, to honor one of the great names in our field," stated James Q. Swift, D.D.S., ADEA President.

For more than 50 years, the ADEAGies Foundation has enhanced the oral health of the public through programs that support dental education, research, leadership, and recognition. To obtain a copy of the Gies Awards Call for Entries or for more information, please visit http://www.adeagiesfoundation.org.

About The William J. Gies Foundation:

The William J. Gies (pronounced guys) Foundation was established in 1950 by colleagues and admirers of Dr. Gies with seed funds raised by the American College of Dentists. It was a private foundation and the first U.S. foundation to support dental education and scholarship. In 2002, it joined with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to form ADEAGies Foundation, a public foundation.

About William J. Gies and the Gies Report:

William Gies was a Columbia University biochemistry professor interested in dental education, science, and clinical applications. In 1926, as part of a series of studies on U.S. professional education funded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Dr. Gies published a landmark report that established the importance of dentistry as a healing science and an essential component of higher education in the health professions. The Gies Report, Dental Education in the United States and Canada, took five years to research and write. It consists of 250 pages of text and more than 400 pages of appendices, including lengthy descriptions and evaluations of the existing dental schools, each of which Dr. Gies visited. Since the Gies Report, there have been many other reports on dental education in the context of health professions education. However, Dental Education in the United States and Canada remains to this day the most relevant survey of dental education and critical issues within the field.

About ADEA:

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the leading national organization for dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools and many advanced dental education programs, allied dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public. ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings, and communications like the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services AADSAS and PASS.

http://www.adeagiesfoundation.org