At the 12th Academy of Laser Dentistry Annual Session held April 6-9 in New Orleans, Dr. David Roshkind, 1997 ALD President and Master of
Ceremonies 2005, presented the ALD Distinguished Service Award to Joel
M. White, DDS, MS, a renowned dental educator who has served the Academy of Laser Dentistry since it's inception in 1993.
This award is not granted every year, but is reserved for those times and those individuals whose contributions to education, to research, and to ALD
are so significant that an extraordinary form of recognition is needed.
In presenting the award, Dr. Roshkind reflected on both Dr. White's professional accomplishments and the early years working together as founders of the Academy of Laser Dentistry.
"There is a member among us who is not only dedicated to serving the Academy but is dedicated to the goals of the Academy, to education, to research, to clinical applications, to reaching out to all of as students of laser
dentistry and helping us to understand the how and why of what we do"
said Dr. Roshkind.
"A member who has served in almost every capacity in the Academy from committee member to board of directors to officer. He has lectured, published, and influenced laser dentistry around the world. He is a member who clearly envisioned how important the role of educational standards is to the Academy and how important the Academy is to establishing and guarding these standards".
Joel M. White, D.D.S., M.S., is a Professor in the Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering and John C. Greene Chair in Primary Care Dentistry in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco. He was Chair of the Division of Clinical General Dentistry in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences for seven years and is a former chair of the Division of Comprehensive Care serving for 3 years in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. Dr. White is the Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committee for safe use of lasers in health care facilities.
Since 1989, the focus of Dr. White's research work has been in defining
dental laser applications and investigating their safety and efficacy leading to many of the current 22 indications for use. In 1993, Dr. White was the principle author of the Curriculum Guidelines and Standards for Dental Laser Education, the accepted worldwide standard. He has received several honors and recognition awards and in 1993 he received the Academy's T.H. Maiman Award for excellence in dental laser research.
Since that time he has published many articles and reviews dealing with
lasers in dentistry, from a total of over 200 scientific papers and abstracts that he has authored or co-authored and presented during international, national and regional dental conferences. He has been a reviewer for ten different scientific journals that publish research on laser use in dentistry and medicine including Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, Scanning Microscopy, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Journal of Biomedical Optics and he currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the Academy of Laser Dentistry. Dr. White is also a scientific reviewer for the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Dr. White is an active member of organizations including the American
Dental Education Association, both the American and International
Association for Dental Research, the ADA's International Association of
Student Clinicians, and Laser Institute of America, American Dental
Association, among many others. He devotes time to public service
through a variety of local, state and regional programs.
Dr. White led the Academy of Laser Dentistry as president 2002-3 and was
an active member of the executive committee for 6 years beginning in
1998. He served as chair of various committees including Strategic
Planning 2003, 2002 Annual Conference and has been a member of the
Education and Research, Certification Committees and Finance committees
since the Academy's inception in 1993.
"Through all his educational and professional accomplishments, Dr. White
has clearly shown himself to be a scholar, an agent of positive change,
and a wonderful ambassador for the Academy of Laser Dentistry," said
President Steven Parker. "His impact on dental education and research
will be longstanding."
