The 2007 Geriatric Oral Research Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) will be presented today to Dr. Judith Jones, Professor and Chair of the Department of General Dentistry of Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Dr. Jones has conducted geriatric dental research for nearly 20 years, with many of her studies contributing not only to this area of research, but also to clinical practices in geriatric dentistry. In addition to publishing on a diverse variety of topics in geriatric dentistry, Dr. Jones conducted some of the initial longitudinal geriatric oral epidemiological research in a dependent and cognitively impaired population. She has attracted a variety of grant research awards from several sources, including the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, to which she has devoted much of her career.
Dr Jones has been an active member of the IADR, especially of the Geriatric Oral Research Group, of which she has held many positions, including President. She is currently principal investigator of the oral-specific health-related quality-of-life project in children and adolescents funded by the NIH as part of the Northeast Center to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities. Her research interests include geriatric oral health and the relationships among systemic health, oral health, and quality of life.
Dr. Jones attended the University of Michigan (Certificate in Dental Hygiene, 1972), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (DDS, 1978; MPH, Nutrition, 1981), and Boston University (DScD, Dental Public Health, 2002). Board-certified in Dental Public Health, she served as a dental hygienist in the Model Cities Program in Ann Arbor (1972-1974), a general practice resident at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital (1978-80), and in the National Health Service Corps in Detroit (1980-83), and she completed a Fellowship in Geriatric Dentistry with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (Boston/Bedford, MA, affiliated with Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 1983-85) before becoming Director of the Fellowship Program (1985-92), Director of the Geriatric Dental Program (1985-94), Team Dentist for the Alzheimer’s Unit (1983-2003), and Chief of the Dental Service (1994-98).
The award, funded by Sunstar Americas, Inc., was established to stimulate, encourage, and recognize outstanding research accomplishments in the field of geriatric oral research, especially research in the basic and clinical epidemiological sciences associated with geriatric oral research. It is one of the Distinguished Scientist Awards conferred annually, representing the highest honor the IADR can bestow.
The Award consists of a cash prize and plaque and will be presented to Dr. Jones during the Opening Ceremonies of the IADR's 85th General Session, convening here at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.