AAOMS honors oral and maxillofacial surgeons during Annual Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – More than 20 oral and maxillofacial surgeons were honored by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) for contributing to the specialty through their exceptional research, education and advocacy. 

Awards were presented Oct. 11 during the Opening Ceremony of the 99th AAOMS Annual Meeting – the largest gathering of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the country.

The Annual Meeting was dedicated to William H. Bell, DDS, of Stowe, Vt., posthumously, for his vital research on the Le Fort I osteotomy – one of the most commonly used procedures to correct midface deformities. He also is credited for contributing to the specialty’s movement from oral surgery to oral and maxillofacial surgery. 

AAOMS presented its top award – the Robert V. Walker Distinguished Service Award – to Thomas Dodson, DMD, MPH, FACS, of Seattle, Wash., for his clinical research that has benefited patients and cultivated innovations in the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Dodson has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, covering topics from office-based anesthesia and wisdom teeth extraction outcomes to identifying victims of domestic abuse with clinical markers. 

Other award winners include:

• Board of Trustees Special Citation Awards – Alejandro Roisentul, DDS, of Safed, Israel; and Mark Wong, DDS, of Houston, Texas
• Clinical Research Award – Leonard Kaban, DMD, MD, FACS, of Boston, Mass.
• Committee Person of the Year Award – James Mercer, DDS, of West Columbia, S.C.
• Daniel M. Laskin Award for an Outstanding Predoctoral Educator – Ruben Figueroa, DMD, MS, of Mount Dora, Fla.
• Donald B. Osbon Award for an Outstanding Educator – Steven Roser, DMD, MD, FACS, of Atlanta, Ga.
• Faculty Educator Development Awards – Carolyn Brookes, DMD, MD, of Shorewood, Wis.; Michael Markiewicz, DDS, MD, MPH, of Chicago, Ill.; Ryan Mirchel, DDS, MD, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Mohammed Qaisi, DMD, MD, FACS, of Chicago, Ill.
• Honorary Fellowship – Karin Wittich, AAOMS Associate Executive Director of Practice Management and Government Affairs, of Rosemont, Ill.
• Humanitarian Awards for Fellows and Members – Shahid Aziz, DMD, MD, FACS, of Newark, N.J.; and Robert Bruce MacIntosh, DDS, of Northville, Mich. 
• John F. Freihaut Political Activist Award – Eugene D’Amico III, DDS, of Newark, Del. 
• Legislator of the Year Award – Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) was honored for advocating for the prevention of over-prescribing opioids.
• Presidential Achievement Award – Daniel Gesek Jr., DMD, of Jacksonville, Fla.; and James Boyle III, DDS, MS, of York, Pa., were honored for committing to the specialty and AAOMS’s mission.
• Resident Scientific Awards – Ashish Sharma, BDS, MSD, of Loma Linda, Calif.; and James Phero, DDS, MD, of Cincinnati, Ohio
• Special Honorary Fellowships – Stephen Dover, BDS, MBChB, FDSRCS, FRCS, president of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; and Tara Renton, PhD, MDSc, BDS, FDSRCS, FRACDS (OMS), FHEA, president of the British Association of Oral Surgeons, both of London, England
• William J. Gies Foundation Award – Joseph Van Sickels, DDS, of Lexington, Ky., was recognized for his distinguished achievements as an educator.