Athanasios E. Athanasiou
Best Orthodontic Master’s Thesis Award
The Athanasios E. Athanasiou Best Orthodontic Master’s Thesis Award was established by the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) Executive Committee in 2022, and named after former WFO President, Doctor Athanasios E. Athanasiou. The annual award may be presented to WFO Fellows who, in the judgment of the WFO, have excelled in their completed Master’s thesis from a WFO affiliate-recognized orthodontic specialty training program. The nominees must have completed their thesis no more than 2 years earlier at the time of application for this award. Award winners will receive a cash prize of 1000 USD plus a plaque from the WFO and an invitation to attend the WFO President's breakfast session. The intent of the award is to encourage WFO Fellows to participate in a competition where they would be recognized for their postgraduate work. It is also the intent of the WFO that residents and recent graduates in orthodontics gain an interest in the WFO.
The award is named after Doctor Athanasios E. Athanasiou in recognition of his illustrious academic career. Dr. Athanasiou has been a keen driver in the training of future orthodontists, making contributions to orthodontic research, and providing leadership to professional and academic organizations around the world. Naming this award after him is most appropriate.
Nomination for the Award. Submissions for the award may be made directly to the WFO Central Office or through a current WFO Executive Committee member. Nominations are made by the Chair of the department from which the thesis originated, who must be a WFO Fellow. The nomination must be supported by a seconder who is a WFO Fellow. The WFO central office shall forward the nomination to the WFO Awards Committee.
Eligibility. To be eligible for nomination for The Athanasios E. Athanasiou Best Orthodontic Master’s Thesis Award, a nominee must be a Fellow or Student Member of the WFO. All nominees must be WFO members in good standing at the time of submission and in the year any award is presented. All contents of the thesis must be unpublished at the point of submission.
Process. Nominations for this award may be made to the WFO from the 1st of June the previous year and must be received no later than 31st of March of the awarding year. The Awards Committee shall be convened and is authorized, at their discretion, to seek consultation with relevant authorities outside the committee for expert consultation as indicated. The Awards Committee will make recommendations to the WFO Executive Committee for final determination of all awards. Up to three awards may be selected annually. The award application shall be submitted on the form provided (Annex A) and must include the nominee’s curriculum vitae, a write up of the thesis in the format of a paper acceptable for publication and a digital copy of the original Master’s thesis. The nomination must include a short narrative of no more than one (1) page in length, authored by the nominating Fellow, who is the Chair of the department from which the thesis originated, describing fully the reasons the nominee should be considered for the award. The award winner(s) will be announced at the annual WFO President’s Breakfast meeting traditionally held in April or May.