Dentistry professors win international awards

Three School of Dentistry professors received awards at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meetings held in Vancouver, B.C., in March.

Dr. Beverly Dale-Crunk received the 1999 Research in Oral Biology Award for outstanding research on the cells that form the skin surface on the body and the inner surface of the mouth. She is particularly known for her discovery and characterization of a unique protein that helps make the skin’s outer surface tough and protective. Dale-Crunk and her colleagues have developed systems for growing oral cells in culture and for examining their maturation. She is director of the Research Center in Oral Biology, director of the Dentist Scientist Program, and professor of oral biology and periodontics. She earned her bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan and joined the UW in 1972.

Dr. Susan W. Herring, professor of orthodontics and zoology, received the 1999 Craniofacial Biology Research Award. She is known for her work in morphology, particularly muscle-bone interactions. Many of her methods and concepts derive originally from vertebrate paleontology. Her most recent work has brought the concepts, databases and techniques of allied fields to craniofacial investigation. Herring received her Ph.D. in anatomy at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Peter Milgrom, professor and director of the Dental Fears Research Clinic, received the 1999 Behavioral Sciences & Health Services Research Award. He is best known for creating the first clinic in the world for patients with dental fears and is recognized as an international authority in the field. He has served as principal investigator on numerous grants to investigate the epidemiology and treatment of dental fear in adults and children. Milgrom is currently studying the efficacy of combining benzodiazepine tranquilizers with a behavioral treatment for the clinic’s patients. He received his dental degree from the University of California, San Francisco, in 1972. He has been a member of the UW faculty since 1974. Milgrom also received the 1999 Giddon Award for the best research paper in his field, on increasing access to dental care for children from low-income families. ¶

Ellen Liang