American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Presents Awards During 100th Annual Meeting

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- During its 100th anniversary celebration, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) honored more than 20 of its members for their contributions to the specialty through their outstanding research, education and advocacy.

The awards were presented Oct. 10 during the Opening Ceremony of the 100th AAOMS Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition - the largest gathering of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the country - at the Hilton Chicago.

The Annual Meeting was dedicated to the association's fellows and members. More than 9,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States compose the professional organization, which was founded in 1918 in Chicago.

Notably, AAOMS bestowed its Robert V. Walker Distinguished Service Award - which recognizes fellows and members for long-standing contributions to the specialty through clinical, academic, research or public service - to Bruce Epker, DDS, Ph.D., M.S.D., of Weatherford, Texas.

He is credited with pioneering a pathway for OMSs to perform orthognathic surgery, craniofacial surgery and cosmetic surgery, allowing these surgeons to gain access to hospital privileges. He trained a generation of residents at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was chair of the division of OMS.

Dr. Epker also served as director of the Center for the Correction of Dentofacial Deformities and the Fort Worth Cleft Palate Center at John Peter Smith Hospital. He has authored several textbooks considered benchmarks in the field and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

Other award winners include:

    --  Board of Trustees Special Citation Award - Andrew Herlich, DMD, M.D., of
        Pittsburgh, Pa.
    --  Clinical Research Award - Deepak Krishnan, DDS, FACS, of Cincinnati,
        Ohio
    --  Committee Person of the Year Award - David Stanton, DMD, M.D., FACS, of
        Philadelphia, Pa.
    --  Daniel M. Laskin Award for an Outstanding Predoctoral Educator - Dean
        DeLuke, DDS, MBA, of Richmond, Va.
    --  Donald B. Osbon Award for an Outstanding Educator - John Zuniga, DMD,
        Ph.D., M.S., of Dallas, Texas
    --  Faculty Educator Development Awards - Andrea Burke, DMD, M.D., Seattle,
        Wash.; Paul Deitrick, DMD, M.D., Philadelphia, Pa.; Courtney Jatana,
        DDS, M.S., FACS, Columbus, Ohio; Leonel Perez Jr., DDS, M.D.,
        Germantown, Md.; and Andrew Read-Fuller, DDS, M.D., M.S., Dallas, Texas
    --  Honorary Fellowship - Christopher Robinson, DDS, of Edmonton, Alberta
    --  Humanitarian Awards for Fellows and Members - Jerry Halpern, DDS, of New
        York, N.Y.; and David Hoffman, DDS, FACS, of Staten Island, N.Y.
    --  Humanitarian Awards for Residents - Wade Barker, DDS, M.D., Dallas,
        Texas; Patrick Christopher, DDS, M.D., Kansas City, Mo., and Abigail
        Estelle, DDS, M.D., Jacksonville, Fla.
    --  John F. Freihaut Political Activist Award - Charles Crago, DMD, M.D., of
        Fargo, N.D.
    --  Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award - Congressman Earl L. "Buddy"
        Carter (R-Ga.)
    --  Presidential Achievement Award - David Todd, DMD, M.D., of Lakewood,
        N.Y.
    --  Resident Scientific Awards - Brian Christensen, DDS, M.D., New Orleans,
        La.; Rodney Nishimoto, DMD, M.D., Seattle, Wash.; and Keith Sonneveld,
        DDS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
    --  Special Honorary Fellowship - Ian Martin, BDS, MBBS (Hons), LLM, FDSRCS,
        FRCS, president of the British Association of OMS
    --  William J. Gies Foundation Award - George Obeid, DDS, of Washington,
        D.C.

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 https://AAOMS.org and https://myOMS.org.

CONTACT: Jolene Kremer, Associate Executive Director, Communications & Publications,
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Phone: 847-233-4336
Fax: 847-678-6286
jkremer(at)aaoms(dot)org
AAOMS.org

SOURCE American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons