Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty & Practice Awards
Congratulations to this year's winners!
- EBD Accomplished Faculty Award: Dr. Rajesh Lalla of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
- EBD Mid-career Faculty Award: Dr. Satheesh Elangovan of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics
- EBD Practice Award: Dr. Christopher Smiley of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Biographies of the 2020 EBD Award winners are below.
Rajesh V. Lalla, B.D.S., Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2020 EBD Accomplished Faculty Award. Dr. Lalla is a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He developed, as well as teaches the school’s course on evidence-based decision-making, which emphasizes experiential learning and student participation with minimal lecturing. Dr. Lalla has published over 100 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, including 23 systematic reviews and evidence-based guidelines such as the 2020 clinical practice guideline for the management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy published in the journal Cancer.
Satheesh Elangovan, B.D.S., D.Sc., D.M.Sc., is the recipient of the 2020 EBD Mid-Career Faculty Award. Dr. Elangovan is a professor at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, where he teaches EBD in his lectures, seminars, and case presentations of pre-doctoral students and periodontics residents. To address deficits in EBD education, Dr. Elangovan was involved in the creation of online resource centers with interactive exercises that teach how to critically appraise scientific literature. He serves as co-assistant director of his college’s dental student research program, where he has mentored numerous students on EBD projects that resulted in conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Elangovan has published more than 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including systematic reviews and critical summaries. He currently serves as an associate editor of the PracticeUpdate Clinical Dentistry Channel from Elsevier and the ADA.
Christopher Smiley, D.D.S., is the recipient of the 2020 EBD Practice Award. Dr. Smiley is a full-time practicing general dentist at Smiley Family Dentistry in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association. In this role, he has overseen the publication of tutorial articles to assist readers in applying the EBD process in clinical practice. This initiative includes presenting a monthly column called "10-Minute EBD," which demonstrates how EBD can improve decision-making across various clinical topics. Dr. Smiley served as a co-author of the ADA’s clinical practice guideline on the nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis as well as the guideline’s associated systematic review.
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Awards overview
Established by the ADA and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), the Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty & Practice Awards acknowledge currently practicing dental educators and clinicians who have made significant contributions to implement and advance EBD in research, practice, or education.
The Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty & Practice Awards consist of three categories:
- the Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award,
- the Evidence-Based Dentistry Mid-Career Faculty Award, and
- the Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Award.
Winners of the 2020 EBD Awards receive a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 honorarium. They will be honored via an online ceremony in December 2020.
Winners are selected by a committee composed of members of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs Clinical Excellence Subcommittee, representation from AADR, and a non-voting participant from Colgate.
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Submission instructions
To receive award consideration, applicants or their nominators must click the "Submit application" button above and provide:
- Verification that the nominee meets all award eligibility criteria.
- Contact information for the nominee (and the nominator, if different than the nominee).
- A letter of reference from a colleague, dental school dean, department head, or other leader in the profession describing the nominee’s relevant contributions to the profession (focusing on the criteria for the specific award) and the depth, breadth, and diversity of the professional accomplishments relevant to the particular award being sought.
- A CV for the nominee.
This is a one-time award; winners are ineligible to apply again. Nominees are not carried over from year to year. Prior-year nominees must apply again for award consideration.
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Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award
Award eligibility criteria
- Membership in the ADA or AADR
- Fifteen years or more as a full-time or part-time faculty member at an accredited U.S. university
- For example, seven years at school A and eight years at school B qualifies as 15 total years
- Have a leadership role in bringing a new EBD research or educational program to their school, or
have a leadership role in developing EBD resources
for the profession
Past recipients
- 2019: Dr. Analia Veitz-Keenan, New York University College of Dentistry
- 2018: Dr. Richard Niederman, New York University College of Dentistry
- 2017: Dr. Jane Forrest, University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- 2016: Dr. John Rugh, University of Texas Health Science Center Dental School at San Antonio
- 2015: Dr. Greg Huang, University of Washington School of Dentistry
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Evidence-Based Dentistry Mid-Career Faculty Award
Award eligibility criteria
- Membership in the ADA or AADR
- Five to 15 years as a full-time or part-time faculty member at an accredited U.S. university
- Outstanding and promising contributions to the practice and
profession: Completion of an EBD project within the
past two years, or authorship on an EBD-related project (such as an evidence summary, a systematic review, an
evidence-based guideline, or a dissemination and implementation research
study) that is accepted by a peer-reviewed publication
Past recipients
- 2019: Dr. Joana Cunha-Cruz, University of Washington School of Dentistry
- 2018: Dr. Vineet Dhar, University of Maryland School of Dentistry
- 2017: Dr. Jaana Gold, University of Florida College of Dentistry
- 2016: Dr. Ahmad Abdelkarim, University of Mississippi School of Dentistry
- 2015: Dr. Donald Chi, University of Washington School of Dentistry
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Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Award
Award eligibility criteria
- Membership in the ADA
- Seventy percent of work must be in the clinic providing direct patient care
- Completion of an EBD project within the
past two years, or demonstrated leadership in implementing
EBD to improve patient care in private practice or a
public health setting and encouraging colleagues to use research
findings in practice
Past recipients
- 2019: Dr. Thomas Paumier of Canton, OH
- 2018: Dr. Elliot Abt of Skokie, IL
- 2017: Dr. Ben Balevi of Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2015: Dr. Jane Gillette of Bozeman, MT
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Additional past recipients
- 2016: Combined EBD Faculty Award presented to Drs. Teresa Marshall and Cheryl Straub-Morarend, University of Iowa College of Dentistry
- 2014: Inaugural Evidence-Based Dentistry Award presented to Dr. Robert Weyant, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
The Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty & Practice Awards are supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Colgate.
View EBD educational resources