HONOLULU, Hawaii--Harold C. Slavkin, DDS, received the 2009 American Dental Association's Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Dental Research this afternoon in a formal presentation during a meeting of the ADA's House of Delegates.
Established in 1985 and presented once every three years, the award honors individuals who contribute to the advancement of the profession of dentistry or who help improve the oral health of the community through basic or clinical research.
Dr. Slavkin will receive $25,000 and a gold medallion. The award also entitles him to serve a three-year term on the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. The ADA and Church & Dwight Co. jointly sponsor the Gold Medal Award.
"As one of dentistry's most influential and forward-thinking leaders, Dr. Slavkin's impact on public policy and dental research has been considerable," said ADA President John S. Findley, DDS.
"In addition to contributing substantially to peer-reviewed, scientific literature, his exceptional national and international leadership has served to advance dentistry in countless ways."
Dr. Slavkin served as dean of the University of Southern California School of Dentistry from August 2000 until his retirement in December 2008. Currently on sabbatical, he plans to return to USC in early 2010 to resume being part of the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology (of which he is the founding director), and teaching in the graduate and dental schools.
Prior to becoming dean at USC, Dr. Slavkin served as the sixth director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Slavkin's memberships include the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of both the American College of Dentistry and the International College of Dentistry, past-president of the American Dental Research Association, and a member of the International Association for Dental Research.
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