Academy members were honored at an Awards Ceremony during the AAP’s 11oth Annual Meeting in San Diego.
CHICAGO – November 26, 2024- On Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, AAP award recipients were celebrated at a ceremony during the Academy’s 110th Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Every year at the Annual Meeting, the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) honors and celebrates members whose service, dedication, and accomplishments have made a significant impact on the field of periodontics. This event brings together top clinicians, researchers, and educators contributing to periodontal science, clinical practice, and leadership within the profession.
Gold Medal Award: In 2024, the Academy was pleased to present its highest honor – the Gold Medal – to Dr. Pamela McClain. Dr. McClain received her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of Colorado School of Dentistry. Her post-doctoral training in periodontics was completed at the University of California in San Francisco. She then joined her father, Dr. Robert Schallhorn, in his periodontal/implant practice in Aurora, Colorado. While maintaining a full-time private practice, Dr. McClain has been active in periodontal research and education. Her research has appeared in various professional publications, including the Journal of Periodontology (JOP). In recognition for her research in periodontal regeneration, Dr. McClain was awarded the first R. Earl Robinson Periodontal Regeneration Award from the AAP in 1989 (and subsequently in 2004, 2006, 2014, and 2017). She holds or has held appointments as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry and as a Research Professor at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She has given professional presentations nationally and internationally for many years and has numerous publications in peer reviewed journals as well as chapters in books. Dr. McClain is a fellow of the American College of Dentists as well as the International College of Dentists. From 2011-2012, she served as President of the AAP and in 2018 as president for the AAP Foundation. She has chaired national and international meetings and workshops and has been very active within the AAP as well as other organizations. In 2020, she was presented the prestigious Master Clinician Award from the AAP.
Master Clinician: The 2024 Master Clinician Award was sponsored by HuFriedyGroup. The 2024 winner of the Master Clinician award was Dr. Kirk Pasquinelli. Dr. Kirk Pasquinelli received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery from the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry (UCSF). He completed a general practice hospital-based residency at Mount Zion Medical Center in San Francisco. He received his periodontal training at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, Division of Graduate Prosthodontics. He is on the faculty of the Foundation for Advanced Continuing Education. Dr. Pasquinelli is a Fellow of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and has been a consultant for the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry as well as the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry. He is currently enrolled in the Stanford/Pacific Comprehensive Clinical Research Training Program. Dr. Pasquinelli continues to teach select groups nationally and internationally and has authored numerous articles in periodontal and restorative dentistry literature. He is known for his excellence in connective tissue grafting, esthetic periodontal surgery, implants in the esthetic zone, hard and soft tissue ridge augmentation, pocket reduction and combining multiple surgical procedures into one session. Since 1988, Dr. Pasquinelli has maintained a private practice in downtown San Francisco dedicated to periodontics, esthetic and pre-prosthetic oral surgery, as well as dental implants.
Distinguished Scientist: The 2024 Distinguished Service Award was sponsored by Crest + Oral-B. The recipient of this award was Dr. Purnima Kumar. Dr.Kumar is the William and Mary K. Najjar Endowed professor of Dentistry and Chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan. She received her dental degree from Annamalai University in India, and her Masters in Periodontology and PhD in Molecular Microbiology from The Ohio State University. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, the International College of Dentists, the American College of Dentists, the Pierre Fouchard Académie and the American Association of Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Research. Dr. Kumar is the Principal Investigator of Oral Microbial Ecology Laboratory at the University of Michigan. She has authored over 100 papers and book chapters and serves as the Associate Editor of Periodontology 2000, Nature Scientific Reports and Senior Editor of Microbiome. She is an active researcher, clinician, teacher, and administrator. She serves on the Continuing Education Oversight Committee and Budget Committee for the AAP and chairs the AAP’s Task Force for Oral Medical Integration. She also serves on the board of directors of the Osteology Foundation and the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. She is the Chair of the Council of Scientific Affairs of the ADA. Dr. Kumar has served on various committees of IADR and is presently the Past-President of the Periodontal Research Group.
Outstanding Periodontal Educator: The 2024 Outstanding Periodontal Educator Award was sponsored by the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. The Academy’s Outstanding Periodontal Educator for 2024 was Dr. Wayne Kaldahl. Dr. Kaldahl’s educational background includes an undergraduate degree (B.A.) from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a dental degree (DDS) from University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry. He completed a hospital internship at Carswell Air Force Base in Texas in the United States Air Force which as followed by two years of active duty and received his Certificate in Periodontics from the University of Washington College of Dentistry. Dr. Kaldahl is a Professor of Periodontics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), College of Dentistry, as well as a practicing periodontist. He has performed major clinical research on non-surgical and surgical therapies with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has numerous scientific publications – including the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) – and has lectured both nationally and internationally. Dr. Kaldahl is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, Fellow of the American College of Dentists, and a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honorary Society.
H. Dalton Conner Humanitarian: The H. Dalton Conner Humanitarian Award is presented to an Academy member who has given selflessly through extraordinary actions that benefit a deserving population. The 2024 recipient of this honor was Dr. John C. Aniemeke. Dr. Aniemeke was honored with the Dr. Robert Dale Memorial Award for selfless service to the community and devotion to patient care at the UTHSCSA Dental School (2009). In 2013, Dr. Aniemeke and his wife were both commissioned as Pastors and began Bethel Covenant Assembly of God (BCAG) in San Antonio with nine foundation members. Under his servant leadership the ministry has grown exponentially to over 1000 members from across 35 different nations. In 2017, he was ordained as a Reverend by the General Council of the Assemblies of God Church USA. In 2024, he was elected as an executive presbyter in the South Texas AG Ministries Network. Dr. John Aniemeke maintains a private practice limited to periodontics and implant surgery. In addition to his practice, he also teaches periodontics part-time in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program.
R. Earl Robinson Regeneration: Funded by the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, this award recognized an outstanding recent scientific article about periodontal regeneration in the basic and clinical sciences. For their article, “Control of tissue homeostasis by the extracellular matrix: Synthetic heparan sulfate as a promising therapeutic for periodontal health and bone regeneration,” the Academy recognizes Drs. Patricia Miguez, Ellie Bash, Marta Liliana Musskopf, S.A. Tuin, Angeliz Rivera-Concepcion, Iain Chapple, and Juan Liu.
Clinical Research: This award recognized an outstanding recent scientific article with direct clinical reference to periodontics. For their article, “Nisin a probiotic bacteriocin mitigates brain microbiome dysbiosis and Alzheimer’s disease-like neuroinflammation triggered by periodontal disease,” the Academy recognizes Drs. Yvonne Kapila, Chuanjiang Zhao, Ryutaro Kuraji, Changchang Ye, Li Gao, Allan Radaic, Pachiyappan Kamarajan, and Yoshimasa Taketani.
About the American Academy of Periodontology
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) represents nearly 7,500 periodontists—specialists in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of inflammatory diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth, and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontics is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.
