Robert L. Boyd, DDS, MEd, a renowned orthodontist, periodontist, educator, and orthodontic researcher, has been recognized with the establishment of the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) Robert L. Boyd Biomedical Research Award.
“The creation of the Robert L. Boyd Biomedical Research Award speaks volumes about Bob Boyd’s character,” said Robert James Bray, DDS, MS, AAOF President, and a past president of the AAO. “Bob Boyd has been an active and supportive member of the AAO Foundation for many years. He served as Vice Chair for two full terms on the AAOF Planning and Awards Review Committee (PARC) at the very beginning of our Awards Program and helped guide us in those early years. We have funded more than $10 million in awards designed to benefit the specialty of orthodontics, its patients, and our membership.”
In recognition for all that he has done for the AAOF over the years, Boyd was given the AAO Foundation Blair Award in 2014, the organization’s highest award for meritorious service.
“I am deeply honored by the AAO Foundation; our AAOF President, Dr Bray; CEO of Align Technology Tom Prescott; Dr Ron Redmond; and my many other colleagues who so generously donated to establish this prestigious award in my name,” said Boyd. “My career as a faculty person and our department’s success over the past 20 years was to a large degree made possible by the support of the AAO Foundation.”
Boyd was the principal investigator for the first clinical study of the orthodontic appliance Invisalign®, which led to the first published paper on Invisalign in the year 2000. The initial research for this study was done at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Since that first publication, Boyd has been the principal author on nine other published papers on Invisalign.
The Robert L. Boyd Biomedical Research Award was made possible through the shared contributions of some of Boyd’s professional colleagues, friends, and admirers, who committed more than $250,000 in pledges and gifts to the AAOF in his honor. Contributors include orthodontists: Bray, Clark D. Colville, DDS, MS; William V. Gierie, DDS, MS; Robert W. Fry, DDS, MS; David E. Paquette, DDS, MSD, MS; Mark J. Perelmuter, DMD, MS; Ronald Redmond, DDS, MS; and William R. (“Randy”) Womack, DDS; as well as Thomas M. Prescott, president and CEO of Align Technology.
The award is a dynamic gift and will remain open to contributions at any time.
“Dr Boyd has made it his life’s work to advance the science and practice of orthodontics and oral health through research and education,” said Prescott. “On behalf of Dr Boyd’s friends and colleagues, it is an honor to recognize his commitment and contributions to the profession by supporting new industry research through this AAOF award.”
The Boyd-named award is the third such named AAOF award set up within the past year. The first was the Martin “Bud” Schulman Post-doctoral Fellowship Award, established by gifts in memory of the late Schulman by the membership of the Schulman Study Group; the second was the Fred and Dianne Garrett Biomedical Research Award, established by gifts from friends and admirers of Dr Garrett, who also serves as the AAO Foundation National Campaign Chair; and now, the Robert L. Boyd Biomedical Research Award. The aggregate of these three named awards is $1 million.
Boyd currently serves as the Frederick T. West Endowed Chair of the Department of Orthodontics at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, in San Francisco. His career also includes serving as co-investigator for a 5-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health that determined the outcomes of orthodontic treatments. A published author of more than 150 scientific articles, chapters, and abstracts, Boyd has presented nearly 500 continuing education courses and lectures to dental organizations worldwide. He is also the recipient of the John Valentine Mershon Memorial Award from the American Association of Orthodontists.
“The Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific is extremely proud of Dr Boyd and his contributions to orthodontics and dental education,” said Arthur A. Dugoni, DDS, MSD, Dean Emeritus, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. “The AAO Foundation Robert L. Boyd Biomedical Research Award is a fitting tribute to his dedication, perseverance, tenacity, and commitment to academic excellence for over 40 years.”
Prior to his work at the University of the Pacific, Boyd worked at the University of California, San Francisco, for 15 years, where he last served as a professor and chair of the division of orthodontics in the department of growth and development. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Temple University, postgraduate certificates in periodontics and orthodontics from the University of Pennsylvania, and his master’s degree in education from the University of Florida. Like many of the contributors to his award, Boyd is a Diplomate of The American Board of Orthodontics. He is a fellow of both the American and International Colleges of Dentists and a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy.
