NEW OFFICERS ELECTED, NEW TRUSTEE INSTALLED AT AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORTHODONTISTS’ 110TH ANNUAL SESSION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
ST. LOUIS, May 18, 2010 — The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) elected officers for 2010-11 and also installed a new member of the Board of Trustees at its 110th Annual Session held recently in Washington, D.C..
Lee W. Graber, DDS, MS, MS, PhD was elected president of the AAO. He is in private practice in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills, Ill. In addition to his years of service on the AAO Board of Trustees, Dr. Graber has lectured extensively throughout the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia on a wide variety of orthodontic topics. He is co-editor of the 5th edition of the textbook “Orthodontics: Current Principles and Techniques.” Dr. Graber has served on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, the World Journal of Orthodontics, Quintessence International, and Adult Orthodontics and Orthognathic Surgery.
“Orthodontics is an important component of dental healthcare. As an association, the AAO will continue to strengthen its relationships with our general dental colleagues as well as those in the other dental specialties. We will work together with a common goal, that patients may enjoy access to quality oral healthcare delivered by properly educated dental healthcare professionals.” Dr. Graber said. “The AAO recently began working with an important group outside of dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, to explore how to better serve our shared patients. Regardless of what part of healthcare we represent, we all seek to provide the highest level of care for our patients.
“As a leading professional organization, part of our challenge is to better educate the public, and our public awareness campaigns are set to accomplish that goal. Our advocacy positions in Washington D.C. are similarly directed so that legislators better understand dentistry and the business challenges of operating a private practice. The AAO will also continue its leadership in supporting dental education, research and the academicians who are developing our future,” said Dr. Graber.
Michael B. Rogers, DDS of Augusta, Ga. was elected president-elect. John F. Buzzatto, DMD, MDS, of Allison Park, Pa. was elected secretary-treasurer. Dr. Buzzatto also represents the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists on the AAO Board of Trustees.
DeWayne B. McCamish, DDS, MS of Chattanooga, Tenn. was installed as the new Trustee on the AAO Board of Trustees. He succeeds Dr. Rogers as the representative of the Southern Association of Orthodontists (SAO).
The SAO serves AAO members practicing in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana east of the Mississippi River. The SAO is one of the AAO’s eight constituent societies.
In addition to Drs. Graber, Rogers, Buzzatto and McCamish, the AAO Board of Trustees includes: Gayle Glenn, DDS, MSD, Southwestern Society of Orthodontists; Brent E. Larson, DDS, MS, Midwestern Society of Orthodontists; Nahid Maleki, DDS, MS, Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists; Hugh R. Phillis, DMD, Northeastern Society of Orthodontists; Morris N. Poole, DDS, Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists; Robert E. Varner, DMD, Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists; Robert James Bray, DDS, MS, of Somers Point, N.J., immediate past president; David L. Turpin, DDS, MSD, of Federal Way, Wash., editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics; Keith Levin, DMD, MS, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Speaker of the AAO House of Delegates; and Vincent G. Kokich, Sr., DDS, MSD, of Tacoma, WA, editor-designate of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
The AAO is a professional association of educationally qualified orthodontic specialists dedicated to ethically advancing the art and science of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics and improving the health of the public by promoting quality orthodontic care.
Recognized by the American Dental Association, the AAO has 16,000 members in the United States, Canada and abroad. It is the oldest and largest dental specialty organization in the world.
The AAO maintains a public Web site, www.braces.org, and an industry Web site, www.AAOinfo.org.