The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) will present its first Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research during the 2017 Annual Session in San Diego. Nominations for the award are now being accepted at aaoinfo.org through March 31, 2016.

“Over the history of the specialty of orthodontics, there have been a number of uncommon individuals who have devoted their entire careers toward the pursuit of research and discovery and each, in their own way, advanced the basic or clinical sciences associated with orthodontics,” says Rolf Behrents, DDS, PhD, editor-in-chief of the AJO-DO. “Names such as Angle, Case, Hellman, Broadbent, Sicher, Tweed, Brodie, Krogman, Bjork, Harvold, Moorees, Graber, Moyers, Ricketts, Sassouni, and many others come to mind. Such individuals conducted important investigations and made significant contributions to orthodontics. At the culmination of their careers, some were honored in various ways, but many simply faded away without recognition or ceremony. In an attempt to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the science related to the specialty of orthodontics over the course of their lifetimes, the AAO has established the Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research.”

Any AAO member in good standing may submit a nomination for the research award. A nominee may be from the United States or from any other country, and does not have to be an orthodontist.

The AAO Board of Trustees will consider all nominations submitted by the deadline of March 31, 2016, and will make the final selection of the award recipient.

Once the winner of the award is determined, he or she will be invited to make a presentation at the 2017 Annual Session of the AAO in San Diego during the Doctors’ portion of the program. At the beginning of the presentation, the recipient of the first Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research will be honored. At the conclusion of the presentation, the second recipient will be announced and will receive his or her award in 2018.