Today the ADEAGies Foundation ® announced recipients of the 2021 William J. Gies Awards (the Gies Awards) for Vision, Innovation and Achievement. The Gies Awards, named after William J. Gies, Ph.D., honor individuals and organizations that exemplify the highest standards in oral health and dental education, research and leadership.
“Through their extraordinary contributions, our Gies Awardees are moving the needle forward in dental education and oral health” says Marsha Pyle, D.D.S., M.Ed., President of the ADEAGies Foundation. “The Gies Awards honor future-ready initiatives that advance dental education and elevate the dental profession.”
The eight honorees were chosen by a distinguished panel of industry experts, including the ADEAGies Foundation ® Board of Trustees.
The 2021 Gies Awards recipients are ( in alphabetical order ):
Mert Aksu, D.D.S., J.D., MHSA
Gies Award for Vision – Dental Educator
California Dental Association
Gies Award for Achievement – Public or Private Partner
M. Franklin Dolwick, D.M.D., Ph.D.
Gies Award for Innovation – Dental Educator
University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry
Gies Award for Achievement – Academic Dental Institution
Paul Gates, D.D.S., M.B.A.
Gies Award for Achievement – Dental Educator
Irvin Silverstein, D.D.S., M.Sc. Ed.
Gies Award for Achievement – Dental Educator
Texas A&M College of Dentistry
Gies Award for Vision – Academic Dental Institution
Mary Williard, D.D.S.
Gies Award for Achievement – Dental Educator
The 2021 Gies Awards will be presented on March 12, 2021, in tandem with the 2021 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition (virtual).
About the ADEAGies Foundation: As the only philanthropy dedicated solely to dental education, the ADEAGies Foundation’s mission is to enhance the oral health of the public by funding programs that support innovations in dental education, research, leadership and recognition. To achieve its mission, the Foundation awards grants (over $1.8 million to date) and holds The William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement each year. Building on these successes, the ADEAGies Foundation has committed to increase funding for innovations within academic dentistry, and to ensure that those ideas are disseminated throughout the profession to reach their full potential for change. The Foundation’s funding will support leadership programs and transformational advances throughout dental education to improve oral and systemic health.
About William J. Gies, Ph.D. and the Gies Report: William J. Gies was a Columbia University biochemistry professor and founder of the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University. In 1926, funded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Dr. Gies published a landmark report that established the importance of dentistry as a healing science and an essential component of higher education in the health professions. The Gies Report remains to this day the most relevant survey of dental education and critical issues within the field.
About ADEA: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Our mission is to lead and support the health professions community in preparing future-ready oral health professionals. Our members include all 78 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, more than 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, more than 50 corporations and approximately 18,000 individuals. Our activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education ®, as well as the dental school application services ADEA AADSAS ®, ADEA PASS ®, ADEA DHCAS ® and ADEA CAAPID ®. For more information, visit adea.org.
