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Awards

Athanasios E. Athanasiou Master’s Thesis Award

About the 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 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.

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.

Intent

The intent of The Athanasios E. Athanasiou Best Orthodontic Master’s Thesis Award is to encourage student members, residents, and new graduates of orthodontic programs globally to receive recognition for their postgraduate work, as well as to promote interest in the WFO.

The Award Process

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 All contents of the thesis must be unpublished at the point of submission. The nominees must have completed their thesis no more than 2 years prior to the time of application for this award.

Nomination

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. 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 second who is a WFO Fellow. The WFO central office shall forward the nomination to the WFO Awards Committee.

Process

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 and must include all materials outlined in the form. The award winner(s) will be announced at the annual WFO President’s Breakfast meeting traditionally held in April or May. 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.

Awards Committee

Submissions for the award shall be reviewed by current members of the WFO Awards Committee, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the World Federation of Orthodontists (JWFO), the 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 Awards Committee and cannot be challenged. Re-submissions for subsequent year competition will not be accepted.

General Award Policy

  • The WFO Awards, Educators and Communications Committees will publicize the award through the various committee projects and media platforms available. Regional WFO representatives and affiliate associations will also encourage participation from current and recent graduates.
  • Each individual nominee may only be nominated once. The nominees must have completed their thesis no more than 2 years prior at the time of application for this award. A maximum of three (3) awards may be given out every year at the discretion of the WFO Executive Committee.
  •  Outstanding papers might be offered early publication in the JWFO should the awards committee and the editor-in-chief of the JWFO feel such merit is warranted.
  • All successful submissions will be asked to publish their work in the JWFO if their work has not been previously published.
  • A plaque will be presented to the individual thesis award winners at the WFO President’s Breakfast meeting annually during the AAO annual session. Disbursement of any cash awards will be managed by the WFO central office.
    The WFO Communications Committee will coordinate the entire award process for professional and social media purposes.

Recipients

2024

Dr. Patcharamas Banditsaowapak

Taipei Medical University

The effect of different anterioposterior craniodentfacial morphology on three dimensional smiles

Dr. Sophie Roberts

University of Melbourne

Three-dimensional changes in Class II patients treated with the Twin Block functional appliance: a case-control study

2023

Dr. Mohammed Basheti

University of Melbourne

Comparison of the supragingival plaque microbiome and clinical oral health of orthodontic patients wearing clear aligners and fixed appliances: a clinical trial

Dr. Paul Lam

University of Melbourne

Root resorption in mandibular incisors following surgery first approach to orthographic orthodontic treatment: A retrospective CBCT Cephalometric study

Dr. Samim Taraji

University of Illinois, Chicago

Novel machine learning algorithms for prediction of treatment decisions in adult patients with Class III malocclusion