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Roberto Justus Young Speakers Travel Scholarship


The World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) ‘Rising Star’ Travel Scholarship was established by the WFO Executive Committee in 2022, and named after former WFO President, Doctor Roberto Justus. The annual award may be presented to WFO Fellows, no older than 38 years of age at the time the application is submitted, who in the judgment of the WFO, have excelled in the field of Orthodontics and should be supported to present their research and/or clinical work internationally. The WFO would like to encourage such Fellows to present lectures at an affiliate national and/or regional meeting that is not their own. The intent of the award is to encourage younger WFO Fellows to participate in international settings and to create more exposure for themselves. The WFO wishes to ensure a bright future for our profession by supporting colleagues with leadership potential in their early professional years.

To support orthodontic speakers early in their careers, the WFO has initiated a travel reimbursement program of up to 1000 USD per awardee as well as a plaque in honor of receipt of this recognition. It is presumed that a WFO affiliate meeting will provide free registration to WFO Fellows who are invited to present lectures within the affiliate’s scientificsession and who win this WFO Travel Scholarship.

This award is named after Dr. Roberto Justus. Dr. Justus is a teacher, mentor, researcher and clinician. He has been motivational and supportive to the younger members of the orthodontic community throughout his career. Dr. Justus travelled extensively as President of the WFO and has been exemplary as an excellent lecturer. This scholarship aptly carries his name.

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 by any WFO Fellow in good standing, or any WFO Affiliate Organization in good standing. The nomination must be supported by a seconder who is a WFO Fellow. Regional representatives of the WFO may also help identify potential scholars. The WFO central office shall forward the nomination to the WFO Awards Committee.

Eligibility. To be eligible for nomination for The Roberto Justus ‘Rising Star’ Travel Scholarship, a nominee must be a Fellow of the WFO. The nominee must also be no older than 38 years of age at the time the application is submitted. All nominees must be in good standing at the time of submission and in the year any award is to be presented.

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 January of the awarding year. The Awards Committee will make recommendations to the WFO Executive Committee for final determination of all awards. Up to 6 scholars (preferably 1 from each WFO region) may be selected annually. The nomination shall be submitted on the form provided (Annex A), and must include the nominee’s curriculum vitae and a summary of the topic of interest to be presented. The nomination must include a short narrative of no more than two (2) pages in length, authored by the nominating Fellow or organization, describing fully the reasons the nominee should be considered for the scholarship. The scholarship winner(s) will be announced at the annual WFO President’s Breakfast meeting. Regional representatives of the WFO Executive Committee will subsequently help facilitate the lectures for the scholars.

Award Committee.
Submissions for The Robert Justus ‘Rising Star’ Travel Scholarship shall be reviewed by the WFO Awards Committee, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the World Federation of Orthodontists (JWFO), the WFO Secretary-General, and the President of the WFO. All members of the committee shall have the right to vote in the determination of an award recipient. Voting by proxy is not permitted, but electronic voting is permitted should a member of the committee not be able to attend a face-to-face meeting. Final decisions are made by the WFO Executive Committee on referral from the WFO Awards Committee and cannot be challenged. Re-submissions for subsequent year competition are not accepted.

General Award Policy. The intent of The Roberto Justus ‘Rising Star’ Travel Scholarship is to encourage younger WFO Fellows to participate in international conferences, and to promote their work to a larger audience. The WFO would like to play an active role in nurturing the future of our profession and to further connect orthodontists from all over the globe.

Policies governing the selection and award process are:

1. The WFO Awards, Education and Communications Committees will publicize the scholarship through their projects and the various media platforms available. Regional WFO representatives and affiliate associations will also encourage participation from WFO Fellows.

2. Each individual Fellow may only be nominated once in their lifetime. They must be no older than 38 years of age at the time the application is submitted. A maximum of six (6) scholarships may be given out every year.

3. All successful submissions will be encouraged to contribute a submission to the JWFO if their work has not been previously published.

4. The results of the award competition will be announced at the WFO President’s Breakfast meeting held annually during the AAO annual session. WFO regional representatives will assist in the arrangements for the lecture to be held at an appropriate conference. The respective plaques and certificates will be presented at the time the lecture takes place by the WFO Regional representative and/or any WFO EC member in attendance. Reimbursements for the award will be managed by the WFO central office and will be based on submitted receipts for land travel and coach airfare to and from the WFO affiliate meeting site. Receipts must be presented to the WFO central office within 60 days of travel to be reimbursed.

 

Please, find the submission form here.

To be considered for the next available award year, submissions must reach the WFO Central office from the 1st of June the previous year and must be received no later than 31st of January of the awarding year.

E-mail submission is preferred but submission may also be made by mail or FAX. The completed form and supporting materials should be submitted to the WFO at:

World Federation of Orthodontists

401 North Lindbergh Boulevard

St. Louis, Missouri 63141-7816 USA

Fax: + 1-314-985-1036

Email: wfo@wfo.org

 

You can download posters for the Roberto Justus Young Speakers Travel Scholarship in A3 pdf, A4 pdf and in jpg.