Dr. Janina Deeb received last June the prestigious AAP Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award. This award is presented to the periodontal educator at each institution who has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in providing education in the full scope of periodontics, and relays that enthusiasm to students.

Dr. Zhao Lin became member of the AAP Emerging Technologies for Bone and Soft Tissue Reconstruction to Save Teeth Workgroup, participating in the development of the Saving Teeth Webinar Series. This webinar series explores the latest evidence-based strategies to preserve natural dentition, highlighting both traditional and emerging therapies and technologies that support dental preservation.

Dr. Iya Ghassib has been accepted for the 2025-26 ADEA Emerging Leaders Program.  The initial meeting will be held in Washington, DC in July 2025.

The ADEA Emerging Leaders Program is designed to provide early-career faculty showing great promise as potential leaders the guidance, insight and skills needed to build an academic career. During the meeting, fellows will engage with senior leaders in dental education and work in peer groups to discuss leadership development and other essential subjects in academic dentistry.

Following the meeting, fellows will interact with their peer groups and advisors throughout the year as they develop research projects that highlight emerging trends and initiatives within academic dentistry, the profession as a whole and at ADEA member institutions specifically. The year-long program culminates with peer group presentations of their research findings during a dedicated session at the 2026 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition.

Dr. Rafael Siqueira has been selected as a participant for the 2025 AAP Leadership, Engagement, Action, and Development (LEAD) Program, held in Chicago in September 2025.

The LEAD Program is an exclusive two-day program designed to identify future leaders in periodontics, cultivate the necessary skills to ensure success, and inspire a commitment to advance the profession. Topics to be covered at the LEAD Program include opportunities within organized dentistry; clinical, practice, and scientific leadership; effective community outreach, and professional relationship development.