The 2007 Craniofacial Biology Research Award is being presented today to Dr. Karin Vargervik, Professor and Interim Chair, Division of Orthodontics, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA. The award is part of the Opening Ceremonies of the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), convening at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Dr. Vargervik received her dental training at the Medizinische Akademie in Dusseldorf, Germany, and her Orthodontic training at the University of Oslo, Norway. In the late 1960s, she was a research fellow at the then-Forsyth Dental Center (now Forsyth Institute) in Boston, Massachusetts, after which she accepted a faculty position at the University of California, San Francisco, where she has been a Professor since 1982.
Dr. Vargervik’s research interests and activities have focused on experimental and clinical issues relating to bone formation and bone remodeling in the craniofacial region. Her clinical research includes investigations of the following: (1) characteristics of growth and development in cleft lip and palate, hemifacial microsomia, and craniosynostosis syndromes; (2) factors contributing to abnormal development; (3) effects of the neuromuscular system on bone morphology and growth patterns; (4) stability of craniofacial skeletal components after major reconstructive procedures; and (5) treatment outcomes following various types of management procedures in a team environment.
Her experimental research has focused on the following: (1) adaptations of muscles and bone to changed functional demands; (2) factors contributing to malocclusions, such as tongue and mandible posture and changes in mode of respiration; (3) characterizing environments favorable and unfavorable for maintenance of bone size and morphology; and (4) new bone formation in controlled experimental sites. Dr. Vargervik’s studies on etiological factors in the development of malocclusions, airway changes, mandibular posture, and jaw growth adaptation are considered classics and are often referenced. She has been active in the IADR Craniofacial Biology Group and was Group President in 1995-96.
The Craniofacial Biology Research Award, supported by BioMimetic Pharmaceuticals and Osteohealth Company, was established to recognize individuals who have contributed to the body of knowledge in craniofacial biology over a significant period of time, and whose research contributions have been accepted by the scientific community. It consists of a cash prize and plaque, and represents one of the highest honors the IADR can bestow.