The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) will recognize the winners of its 2020 awards during its annual meeting in Nashville this April.
“The AAE is comprised of thousands of members who are all committed to promoting the dental specialty, best standard of patient care, and professional development through academia, research, and service,” said AAE president Dr. Keith V. Krell.
“These particular individuals that the association is honoring are among the best within the endodontic field and its various arenas,” Krell said. “It is my honor to announce these winners.”
Clara M. Spatafore, DDS, MS, will receive the Edgar D. Coolidge Award, is the AAE’s highest honor, recognizing her as a role model for the entire endodontic community. The department chair of endodontics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, she holds a DDS, MS, and certificate in endodontics from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry. She has held numerous leadership positions with the AAE and has received multiple awards.
Kenneth N. Namerow, DDS, will receive the IB Bender Lifetime Educator Award for his contributions to endodontics through education, his commitment to full-time educational pursuits, and the way he has instilled the desire to pursue excellence in their own careers in his students. He is the department chair of endodontics at the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine.
Anibal R. Diogenes, DDS, MS, PhD, will receive the Edward M. Osetek Educator Award, which recognizes members who have been full-time educators for up to 10 years. He is being honored for the esteem he has garnered from his students and colleagues, for the impact that his former students have had on the field, and for his career as a speaker. He is an associate professor and the director of the endodontic residency program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Stephen P. Niemczyk, DMD, will receive the Calvin D. Torneck Part-Time Educator Award, which recognizes the valuable contributions of part-time educators in predoctoral or advanced specialty programs in endodontics who have inspired their students to pursue excellence in their own careers. He is an assistant program director with the Albert Einstein Medical Center Department of Dental Medicine and Post Graduate Endodontics.
Anil Kishen, BDS, MDS, PhD, will receive the Louis I. Grossman Award, which recognizes authors for their cumulative publication of significant research that have made an extraordinary contribution to endodontology. A professor with the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, he has published more than 135 journal articles, 20 book chapters, and three books and has co-invented eight patents and invention disclosures.
Mahmoud Torabinejad, DMD, MSD, PhD, will receive the Ralph Sommer Award, which recognizes the principal author or authors of a publication of specific significance to endodontology. He was an adjunct professor at Loma Linda University, the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, and the University of California in San Francisco. He has presented on more than a hundred topics, written 271 articles, and won multiple awards.
Alejandro M. Aguirre, MBA, DDS, will receive the Spirit of Service Lifetime Award, which recognizes members who have demonstrated the true spirit of leadership. An endodontist with Endodontic Associates Limited in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area, he is a member or past member of the local, state, and national boards of different dental and volunteer organizations.
Lynda L. Davenport, RDA, will receive Honorary Membership, which is granted by the AAE’s Board of Directors in acknowledgement of their significant contributions in advancing endodontics. She is the practice manager of Endodontic Associates in Nashville and has served in various roles with the AAE. Also, she is a member of the Heimerdinger Foundation Board of Directors and chair of its Ambassador Committee.
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