Tampa, Fla., USA– The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) has announced Bjorn Steffensen as the recipient of the newly renamed Irwin D. Mandel Distinguished Mentoring Award at the AADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Tampa, Florida, March 21, 2012.
Steffensen has served as the associate dean for research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as well as the director of the Comprehensive Institutional Research Training Program in Craniofacial Oral Biology since 2005. Steffensen is sought after as a mentor for aspiring investigators and collaborators. He has mentored six faculty, seven postdoctoral fellows, 10 Ph.D. and M.S. degree students, and 14 dental, college and high school students. This mentorship has led to 17 peer-reviewed publications and 44 abstracts for presentation at national and local research meetings. Complementing his hands-on approach to mentoring, Dr. Steffensen has been a key figure in research training at UTHSC. Since 2002, he coordinated the dental student research program and organized a summer research seminar series for the trainees. Under his direction, 125 dental students have had research experiences; and most of the students have presented their research findings.
"AADR is proud to recognize Bjorn Steffensen for his outstanding commitment to mentorship and development of dental research students and professionals, the mentor relationship is key to the continued success of dental professionals," said AADR President Jeffrey Ebersole.
This award was established to provide national recognition for outstanding efforts to foster and promote research training and career development of students, trainees and junior faculty. It is intended to identify individuals at all levels of their career with an exemplary record of mentoring. As the inaugural award recipient, Dr. Irwin D. Mandel (1922-2011) embodied the qualities AADR seeks to honor. Mandel began his career as a research assistant in 1946, and gave up his part-time private practice in 1968 to devote himself full-time to research and teaching. He founded the Division of Preventive Dentistry at the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, at Columbia University. He also founded and directed the Center for Clinical Research in Dentistry and served as the Dental School's associate dean for research before attaining emeritus status in 1992. Dr. Mandel served as the 9th president of the AADR. Today the award has been renamed as a tribute to his contributions to AADR, dental research and mentorship.
About the American Association for Dental Research
The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with nearly 4,000 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).
To learn more about the AADR, visit www.aadronline.org.