Endowed Awards & Distinguished Lectures
Endowed Awards & Distinguished Lectures
Celebrating leadership, discovery, and mentorship across the HSDM community.
Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s highest honors recognize individuals whose achievements embody the values that have guided HSDM for more than a century — leadership in science and education, a spirit of innovation, and a deep commitment to mentorship and service.
These signature programs honor those who are shaping the future of oral health while inspiring the next generation of dental leaders. Through lectures, recognition, and celebration, we highlight the remarkable impact of our alumni, faculty, and global collaborators.
The Goldhaber Award Lecture and Award Ceremony
Among HSDM’s most prestigious recognitions is the Paul Goldhaber Distinguished Lecture & Award, presented annually to a scientist or educator of distinction whose work in dentistry or medicine has earned international recognition. Established in 1989, the award commemorates the late dean emeritus Dr. Paul Goldhaber, a pioneering leader in dental education and biomedical research.
Dr. Goldhaber helped chart the course of modern dental medicine through influential leadership roles with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the American Dental Education Association, the International Association of Dental Research, and the Institute of Medicine. As a scientist, he was renowned for advancing knowledge of bone biology and the mechanisms of bone resorption in diseases such as periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteosarcoma — discoveries that reshaped how oral and systemic conditions are understood and treated.
Today, the Goldhaber Distinguished Lecture & Award continues his legacy, spotlighting those whose work exemplifies excellence in scientific discovery and the transformative power of mentorship.
Dr. Luisa DiPietro
Dr. Luisa DiPietro, a global leader in wound healing and tissue regeneration. A Professor of Periodontics and Director of the Center for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration at UIC, she has spent more than two decades advancing the science of oral tissue repair while mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists.
Past awardees
Leader in tissue regeneration research named Goldhaber Award recipient
The Award recognizes outstanding research accomplishments in oral and systemic health
Modern implant dentistry focus of Goldhaber Lecture
Dr. Daniel Buser, an internationally renowned implant surgeon, will deliver the 2024 Goldhaber Lecture at HSDM, recognized for pioneering work in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) and advancing implant dentistry.
Goldhaber Award honors distinguished craniofacial researcher
Goldhaber Award Honors Dr. Peter Polverini
2024 — Daniel Buser
2023 — Yang Chai
2022 — Peter Polverini
2021 — Ichiro Nishimura
2020 — No recipient
2019 — No recipient
2018 — Paul Sharpe
2017 — Anne Marie Kuijpers-Jagtman
2016 — Laurie McCauley
2015 — Teruko Takano Yamamoto
2014 — No recipient
2013 — Ray Williams
2012 — John Greenspan
2011 — Martha Somerman
2010 — Irma Thesleff
2009 — Per-Ingvar Brånemark
2008 — Lawrence Tabak
2007 — Robert Genco
2006 — George Zarb
2005 — Walter Cohen
2004 — Sigmund Socransky
2003 — Charles Bertolami
2002 — Marjorie Jeffcoat
2001 — John Greene
2000 — Gideon Rodan
1999 — Harold Slavkin
1998 — Robert Ledley
1997 — Robert Gorlin
1996 — Jeanne Sinkord
1995 — Ronald Gibbons
1994 — Harold Loe
1993 — No recipient
1992 — Jens Jørgen Pindborg
1991 — Joseph Henry
1990 — Eiko Sairenji
Professor Donald B. Giddon Memorial Lecture in Behavioral Medicine and Dentistry
The Professor Donald B. Giddon Memorial Lecture in Behavioral Medicine and Dentistry honors the legacy of the late Donald B. Giddon, DMD59, PD62, a distinguished scholar, educator, and advocate whose work transformed how oral health is understood within the broader context of human health and behavior. Trained in both dentistry and psychology, Dr. Giddon helped pioneer an interdisciplinary model of care that recognizes dentists as oral physicians who contribute to patients’ overall well-being.
Over more than six decades in academic medicine — including leadership roles at NYU College of Dentistry, Tufts, Brown, the University of Florida, and Harvard School of Dental Medicine — Dr. Giddon advanced research on the relationships between behavioral factors, stress, and oral disease. He was known for his intellectual rigor, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to elevating the profession through scientific discovery and education.
This annual lecture celebrates his enduring influence on teaching, research, and clinical practice, and continues to highlight the critical role of behavioral sciences in advancing oral and craniofacial health.
Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque
Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque is the acting director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health. An accomplished clinician, researcher, and leader, she joined NIDCR after serving for more than two decades as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina’s schools of dentistry and medicine.
2025 — Dr. Paul Krebsbach, lecture: "New Insights into Oral Cancer: How Mammalian EAK-7 Triggers Alternative mTOR Signaling"
2024 — Dr. Janice Lee, lecture: “A Paradigm Shift – Modular Integration to Predict Facial Development”
2023 — Dr. Tanya Smith, lecture: “The Tales Teeth Tell”
2022 — Dr. Lisa Jamieson, lecture: “Indigenous oral health inequities and the role of intersectionality”
2021 — Dr. Richard Watt, lecture: "The Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health"
2020 — Cancelled
2019 — Dr. Daniel Zlott, lecture: “Pharmacy’s Future: A Look Back– What Dentistry Can Learn from Pharmacy’s Experience”
2018 — Dr. Bruce Donoff, lecture: “Immunity to Change vs. the Discomfort of Thought”
2017 — Dr. Donald Giddon, lecture: "Revolution Redux, 150 Years After Beginning The First University Dental School”
2016 — Dr. Marko Vujicic, lecture: “What Dentistry Can Learn from Wayne Gretzky”
2015 — Dr. Bruce McEwen, lecture: “The Brain on Stress–Epigenetic Mechanisms of Brain Plasticity Through the Life Course”
2014 — Dr. Wendy Mouradian, lecture: “The Intersection of Dentistry and Medicine in the Future”
2013 — Carroll-Ann Trotman, BDS, lecture: "Targeting and Improving Soft Tissue Functional Outcomes for Craniofacial Rehabilitation”
2012 — Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanindes, lecture: "How Pain Affects Growth in Young Children"
2011 — Dr. Robert C. Coghill, lecture: “Brain Mechanism Supporting the Construction of Sensory Aspects of Pain”
2010 — Dr. Victor Johnston, lecture: "Facial Beauty and Sexual Selection"
2009 — Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, lecture: “How Stress Kills”
Save the Date: 2026 Student Research Day
The Professor Donald B. Giddon Memorial Lecture in Behavioral Medicine and Dentistry traditionally concludes Student Research Day, a signature HSDM event celebrating scholarship and discovery. Each year, graduating students present their research through interactive poster sessions, demonstrating the breadth of inquiry that advances dental education, research, and patient care.
Join us for next year’s Student Research Day and the Giddon Lecture.
Student Research Day
Student Research Day is an annual event where graduating dental students showcase their scholarly work, engage with peers' research, and connect with faculty and staff through interactive poster sessions.
