CHICAGO--Noted educator and researcher Harold C. Slavkin, DDS, is the 2009 recipient of the American Dental Association's Gold Medal Award for excellence in dental research.
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 at a formal presentation Oct. 2, 2009, during the ADA's 150th Annual Session in Honolulu. Dr. Slavkin also can 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 Dr. John S. Findley, ADA president. "In addition to contributing substantially to the peer-reviewed 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) while teaching in the graduate school and dental school.
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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