Disclaimer: Beware of emails from WFO officers asking for financial assistance or posing as being stranded in situations that require urgent help. These are phishing/hacking activities. WFO officers will never email you for any assistance of this kind.

Login| Calendar| Contact Join The WFO

WFO Council convenes for second time in organization’s history

 During the 6th International Orthodontic Congress (IOC) and the 3rd Meeting of the WFO, the WFO Council convened September 10, 2005, to elect 10 fellows to the WFO Executive Committee, consider amendments to the WFO Bylaws and elect four honorary members. The councilors also received full reports on the actions of the WFO Executive Committee over the last five years and a full financial report on the status of the WFO.

Seventy-five voting councilors were present at the meeting. Prior to this meeting, the council had met only once — during the 5th IOC in 2000 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Several WFO affiliate organizations were represented on the WFO Council for the first time. These organizations include the Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society, the Emirates Society of Orthodontists, the European Federation of Orthodontics, the Greek Association for Orthodontic Study and Research, the Hellenic Professional Union of Orthodontists, the Iraqi Orthodontic Society, the Kuwait Orthodontic Society, the Latvian Orthodontists Association, the Lithuanian Orthodontic Society, the Macau Association of Orthodontics, the Nigerian Association of Orthodontists, the Orthodontic Section of the Finnish Dental Society, the Sociedad Paraguaya de Ortodoncia, the Slovenian Orthodontic Society, the Sri Lanka Orthodontic Society, and the Sudanese Orthodontic

WFO Council elects new Executive Committee

During the 6th International Orthodontic Congress (IOC) and the 3rd Meeting of the WFO, the WFO Council elected 10 individuals to serve on the WFO Executive Committee for the next five years. The elected individuals, who represent the major regions of the world, will help carry out the WFO’s mission to advance the art and science of orthodontics throughout the world.

The new WFO Executive Committee has 13 members in all, including the president, secretary-general and a representative from the Australian Society of Orthodontists (ASO), the host of the 7th IOC. WFO President-designate Dr. Athanasios E. Athanasiou of Athens, Greece, has succeeded Dr. Lee Graber of Kenilworth, Illinois, USA, as president of the WFO. Dr. William DeKock of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, will continue his service as secretary-general, and Dr. Rick Olive of Brisbane, Australia, will represent the ASO. Dr. Olive has full voting rights and the privileges of an elected member of the Executive Committee.

The following WFO fellows now represent the major regions of the world on the WFO Executive Committee.

Dr. Abbas Zaher of Alexandria, Egypt, represents Africa and the Middle East, and he has been elected by the new Executive Committee to serve as the vice president of the WFO. This is Dr. Zaher’s second term on the WFO Executive Committee. Dr. Zaher is a professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Alexandria University. Dr. B. Ian Watson of Adelaide, Australia, represents Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore. This is Dr. Watson’s first term on the Executive Committee. He succeeds Dr. Robert Max of Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Watson is in private practice and is the immediate past president of the ASO. He has also held a number of offices, including president, in the Australian Dental Association (S.A.) Branch. Dr. Jung Kook “J.K.” Kim of Seoul, Korea, and Dr. Somchai Satravaha of Bangkok, Thailand, represent Central and East Asia. This is their first term on the Executive Committee. They succeed Dr. J.C. Kim of Seoul, Korea, and Dr. Hideo Mitani of Sendai, Japan. Dr. J.K. Kim is a clinical associate professor in the College of Dentistry at Yonsei University in Seoul and is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He also maintains a private practice. Dr. Satravaha is the president-elect of the Thai Association of Orthodontists, president-elect of the Thai Orthodontic Foundation and vice president of the Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society. She also serves as a clinical associate professor at Mahidol University in Bangkok and is in private practice. Dr. Julia Harfin of Buenos Aires, Argentina, represents Central and South America. This is her second term on the Executive Committee.  Dr. Harfin is the chairman and professor of the Orthodontic Department at the Maimónides University and director of the postgraduate orthodontic program. She is president of the Latin-American Association of Orthodontists and is the past president of the Argentine Society of Orthodontists and the Argentine Chapter of the International College of Dentists. Dr. Allan Thom of London, England, and Prof. Francesca Miotti of Padova, Italy, represent Europe. This is Dr. Thom’s first term and Prof. Miotti’s second term on the Executive Committee. Dr. Thom succeeds Dr. Athanasiou, who is now president of the WFO.
Dr. Thom is the immediate past president of the British Orthodontic Society. He is a past president of the British Orthodontic Technicians Association and the European Federation of Orthodontics. He also serves as a consultant orthodontist and honorary senior lecturer for Guy’s Hospital, London, and has been in part-time private practice for the past 27 years. Prof. Miotti is a professor of orthodontics at the University of Padova School of Dentistry and the chair of the Postgraduate School of Orthodontics. She is also in part-time private practice. Currently, she is the vice president of the European Federation of Orthodontic Specialists Associations (EFOSA). Dr. James Gjerset of Georgetown, Texas, USA, Dr. Larson Keso of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, and Dr. Roberto Justus of Mexico City, Mexico, represent North America. This is Dr. Gjerset’s first term and Dr. Keso’s and Dr. Justus’ second term on the Executive Committee. Dr. Gjerset succeeds Dr. Donald Poulton of Oakland, California, USA.  Dr. Gjerset is a past president of the American Association of Orthodontists and the Midwestern Society of Orthodontists. Dr. Gjerset was in private practice for 38 years, and, for the majority of that time, practiced in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Dr. Keso, an associate editor of the WFO Gazette, is a past president of the American Association of Orthodontists. He is an assistant clinical professor of orthodontics at the University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Dentistry and serves on the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Team at the OU Children’s Hospital. Dr. Justus is in private practice and is the director of research for the Graduate Department of Orthodontics at the Intercontinental University. He is also on the editorial board of the World Journal of Orthodontics and serves as an associate editor of the WFO Gazette. He is a past president of the Latin-American Association of Orthodontists and the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics.