William V. Giannobile, DDS, DMSc96, PD96, Dean and A. Lee Loomis, Jr. Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) was chosen as the recipient of the American Dental Association’s 2024 Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Dental Research. The award, established in 1985, is presented every three years to an individual who has contributed to the advancement of dentistry through basic or clinical research or has improved the oral health of the public in a significant way.
“I appreciate this wonderful honor from the American Dental Association,” Giannobile said. “I could not have achieved what I have done in my career without the loving support of my family, my colleagues, mentors, and inspiring students.”
Giannobile received his DDS and MS in oral biology from the University of Missouri School of Dentistry, and his certificate in periodontology and a Doctor of Medical Science degree in oral biology from HSDM. He completed postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
Before becoming dean of HSDM in 2020, Giannobile served as the chair and Najjar professor of dentistry of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University’s College of Engineering.
He is a fellow of both the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and the American and International Colleges of Dentists. Internationally recognized, Giannobile is a leader in precision medicine who has made significant contributions to oral health research, particularly in the field of periodontal regenerative medicine.
Giannobile’s continuously NIH-funded research program over the past 30 years has focused on oral and periodontal regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and precision medicine. In his lab at HSDM, Giannobile and his team are working on several funded projects that explore rebuilding bone around teeth and dental implants, gene delivery approaches to accelerate dental implant osseointegration, and precision medicine work for patient stratification.
Giannobile also serves as principal investigator of the NIDCR U-Award Harvard Clinical Practice-based REsearch Program for DENTal Schools (H-CREDENT). The collaborative initiative was launched last year by HSDM to establish a novel clinical practice-based research network to train future clinician-scientists over the next five years.
“The students and innovative collaborators over the years make all of our research possible,” said Giannobile. “I am so grateful to them in advancing oral health research forward."
