Gary_BaughmanGary R. Baughman, DDS, MS, an orthodontist in private practice in Stockton, Calif, has completed his 3-year term as the Speaker of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) House of Delegates. Baughman, who completed his term at the recent 115th AAO Annual Session in San Francisco, is succeeded by Michael J. Foy, DDS, MS, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The House of Delegates (HOD) is the policy-making body of the AAO and convenes at the AAO’s Annual Session. The Speaker of the House is a member of the AAO Board of Trustees and an officer in the organization. The Speaker presides at meetings of the HOD as it elects officers, adopts the annual budget, and acts upon reports submitted. The Speaker also serves as the liaison between the Board of Trustees and the House of Delegates, and performs duties as custom and parliamentary usage require.

“It has been an honor to serve my fellow AAO members as Speaker of the House of Delegates,” said Baughman. “Our work in the House ultimately benefits patients who are, or will be, treated by AAO members. The policies we establish at the House are instituted to serve the health of the public through delivery of the highest possible level of orthodontic care by AAO members.”

Baughman has been an orthodontist since 1977. He is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, where he earned a degree in chemistry. He earned his dental degree from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. He completed his orthodontic specialty education at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Baughman was a United States Naval Reserve officer for 5 years. Before becoming an orthodontist, he served 2 years of active duty in the United States Navy as a dental officer, earning the rank of Lieutenant.

Baughman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO), and a member of the College of Diplomates of the ABO. He is also a member of the scholastic honorary society Phi Beta Kappa and the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and a Fellow of both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.

Long active in organized orthodontics and dentistry, Baughman is a member of the AAO, the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO), the California Association of Orthodontists, the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, and the World Federation of Orthodontists. He maintains memberships in the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, and the San Joaquin Dental Society.

Among his many leadership positions, Baughman is a past president of the San Joaquin Dental Society, the PCSO, the Northern California Component of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, and the International Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists. He served 20 years as a Delegate in the AAO House of Delegates. He has served on numerous AAO task forces and committees throughout his long career.

Twice honored by the PCSO, Baughman was the 2005 recipient of the PCSO Award of Merit, and the PCSO Annual Session Honoree in 2009. He has also been recognized by the California Association of Orthodontists, which presented him with its Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011.