Dr. Richard Darveau, Professor, Department of Periodontics and Oral Biology, University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, USA, has been selected to receive the 2007 Basic Research in Periodontal Disease Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), convening here today for its 85th General Session.
Dr. Darveau is an outstanding intellectual and scientist in the periodontal field, and his work has provided the impetus for two major paradigm shifts in the understanding of the host response to periodontal bacteria. As early as 1995, Dr. Darveau was one of the first scientists to recognize the ability of the periodontal pathogen P. gingivalis to down-regulate inflammatory responses in the gingival crevice. His findings that P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide can dampen the local immune response and potentially set the stage for infection and destruction of the periodontal apparatus have been supported by multiple researchers. This recognition led Dr. Darveau to explore the significance of the constant low level of inflammation present in the healthy periodontium induced by commensual organisms.
In 2000, Dr. Darveau was appointed as an Interim Program Officer at the NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, to assist the Institute in forecasting the future of extramural dental research. He has been recognized world-wide for his contributions to the field of oral and systemic microbiology, and his studies provide new approaches to blocking inflammation associated with infection, both orally and elsewhere in the body. Dr. Darveau has over 70 publications and nine review articles and book chapters. He is sought for his remarkable understanding of good research design and has been active in multiple NIH Study Sections of both the NIDCR and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
He was recently named Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong and has begun his role as a lecturer in the prestigious American Society of Microbiology Waxman Foundation Series. Dr. Darveau is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Antibiotics and the Journal of Periodontal Research, and he is a regular reviewer for many other journals, including the Journal of Dental Research, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Infection & Immunity, and Microbiology.
Supported by the Colgate-Palmolive Company, this award is designed to recognize, encourage, and stimulate outstanding achievements in basic research in periodontal disease.
The Basic Research in Periodontal Disease Award, which consists of a cash prize and a plaque, is one of the Distinguished Scientist Awards conferred annually by the IADR, representing the highest honor the IADR can bestow.
Dr. Darveau will receive the award today during the Opening Ceremonies of the IADR's 85th General Session.