JCO Names 2024 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year

Grace Huang, DDS, DMD, of Harvard University was named the 2024 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year Award winner.

The Journal of Clinical Orthodontics named Grace Huang, DDS, DMD, of Harvard University as the winner of the 2024 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year Award, presented by American Orthodontics.

Huang was selected over 19 other students from schools around the United States and Canada in a two-stage, months-long competition judged for clinical excellence by members of the JCO editorial board. Her prize includes more than $8,000 worth of products and services from American Orthodontics, JCO, and Dolphin.

“I am deeply moved and humbled to receive the 2024 JCO Student of the Year Award, especially considering how many exceptional peers I have come to know,” said Huang. “This honor reflects not just my personal journey but also the collective support and inspiration from my family, mentors, and colleagues. Orthodontics has the profound ability to not only perfect smiles but also transform lives by affecting how people feel about themselves and interact with the world. As I look to the future, I hope to contribute to the ongoing advancement of the field and to continually learn from every patient and clinician I encounter.”

Born in China, Huang moved to the United States at age 6. Her mother worked as an orthodontic assistant while her father attended dental school. She attended the University of Pennsylvania prior to Harvard.

Huang is the ninth Student of the Year award winner and Harvard University is the eighth different school to be recognized with the award. The award program grew out of JCO’s central mission to specialize in the clinical side of orthodontics.

“JCO is the clinician’s journal,” said Neal Kravitz, DMD, MS, JCO editor. “So it is fitting that since most of the other awards are for research, we award the clinician’s resident award.”

JCO was founded in 1967 by Dr Eugene L. Gottlieb, after whom the Student of the Year Award is named. Gottlieb died in 2018 at age 99.

“I love this competition,” said Kravitz, who has been a judge for all 9 years. “This year was actually the closest competition yet, and I’m always energized by learning about all these wonderful residents and seeing the cases and work they are doing. We will be honored to publish Dr Huang’s case in JCO.”

The competition was held in two stages. Every school in the United States and Canada was allowed to nominate one current student. Each nominee submitted two letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Nominees were then given the materials from an unpublished case and asked to write a complete treatment plan, including all possible alternatives, within a two-week time frame. Three JCO board members whittled the 20 nominees down to 12 finalists in December.

Each of the finalists then submitted a complete report for a case he or she had worked on. A wider panel of JCO board members voted for the winner.