ROSEMONT, Ill. – The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) honored more than 20 award recipients for their accomplishments in education, research, advocacy and humanitarianism at the association’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition.

The awards presentation was held during the virtual Opening Ceremony of the 102nd AAOMS Annual Meeting – the largest gathering of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the country – in October.

The Annual Meeting was dedicated posthumously to Richard H. Haug, DDS, of Charlotte, N.C., an international expert in maxillofacial trauma. His honors include the 2007 American Dental Association’s Golden Apple Award for undergraduate education, 2007 Donald B. Osborn Award for an Outstanding Educator, 2016 OMS Foundation Research Recognition Award and 1999 AAOMS Committee Person of the Year Award. The author of more than 125 peer-reviewed articles and six books, he served two decades as Current Therapy and Craniomaxillofacial Trauma section editor for the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Haug, who died in 2018, also was Consulting Editor for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America and its accompanying Atlas.

R. Gilbert Triplett, DDS, PhD, of Dallas, Texas, received the Robert V. Walker Distinguished Service Award recognizing significant contributions to the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) specialty. He is regents professor and acting head of the OMS department at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry and chief of the OMS division at Baylor University Medical Center. Previously, he served as head of the dental branch Combat Casualty Care section of the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Md., director of the OMS residency program at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and chair of the OMS and pharmacology department and assistant dean for hospital affairs at Baylor College of Dentistry. He has written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

Other AAOMS award winners are:

· Clinical Research Awards – Tara L. Aghaloo, DDS, MD, PhD, of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Robert E. Marx, DDS, of Miami, Fla.

· Committee Person of the Year Award – Deepak Kademani, DMD, MD, FACS, of Minneapolis, Minn.

· Daniel M. Laskin Award for an Outstanding Predoctoral Educator – Warren W. Arrasmith, DMD, of Birmingham, Ala.

· Donald B. Osbon Award for an Outstanding Educator – David J. Dattilo, DDS, of Pittsburgh, Pa.

· Faculty Educator Development Awards – Kyle Ettinger, DDS, MD, of Rochester, Minn.; Arshad Kaleem, DMD, MD, of Miami; Mark Miller, DMD, MD, of San Antonio, Texas; and Simon Young, DDS, MD, PhD, of Houston, Texas

· Honorary Fellowship – Pamela Congdon, CAE, IOM, Executive Director of California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; and William C. Passolt, CPA, OMSNIC President/CEO and OMS Foundation Chair

· Humanitarian Awards for Fellows and Members – Jeffrey J. Moses, DDS, of Carlsbad, Calif.; and Sanford L. Ratner, DDS, FACS, of Santa Ana, Calif.

· John F. Freihaut Political Activist Award – Bernard J. Asdell, DDS, of South Bend, Ind.

· Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

· Presidential Achievement Award – Stephen A. Sachs, DDS, FACS, of New York, N.Y.

· Resident Scientific Awards – Corissa Chang, DDS, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Jeffrey Marschall, DMD, MD, of Louisville, Ky.

· Special Honorary Fellowship – Robert P. Bentley, BDS, MB BChFDSRCS, FRCS, FRCS (OMFS), president of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

· William J. Gies Foundation Award – Zachary S. Peacock, DMD, MD, FACS, of Boston, Mass.

OMS Foundation awards also were announced. In alliance with AAOMS, the Foundation strives to enhance patient care quality and safety through advancing innovation in OMS research and education:

· OMS Foundation Torch Award – Eric Geist, DDS, FACS, of Monroe, La.

· OMS Foundation Research Recognition Award – Scott B. Boyd, DDS, PhD, of Nashville, Tenn.

· OMS Foundation Gerald E. Hanson Outstanding Service Award – A. Thomas Indresano, DMD, FACS, AAOMS Immediate Past President

· OMS Foundation Daniel M. Laskin Award – “Maxillomandibular Advancement Improves Multiple Health-Related and Functional Outcomes in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Multicenter Study,” Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 77, Issue 2, p. 352-370, by Scott B. Boyd, DDS, PhD, of Nashville; Radhika Chigurupati, DMD, MS, of Boston; Joseph E. Cillo Jr., DMD, MPH, PhD, FACS, of Pittsburgh; Gail Eskes, PhD, R Psych, Halifax, N.S.; Reginald Goodday, DDS, MSc, of Halifax; Tina Meisami, DDS, FRCDC, of Toronto, Ont.; Christopher F. Viozzi, DDS, MD, of Rochester; Peter Waite, DDS, MD, MPH, FACS, of Birmingham; and James Wilson, DDS, of Houston

The experts in face, mouth and jaw surgery® — The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) is the professional organization representing more than 11,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons, OMS residents and OMS professional staff in the United States. AAOMS supports its fellows' and members' ability to practice their specialty through education, research and advocacy. AAOMS fellows and members comply with rigorous continuing education requirements and submit to periodic office anesthesia evaluations. For additional information about oral and maxillofacial surgery, visit the AAOMS websites at AAOMS.org and myOMS.org.