ABDPH Policy on Awarding Honorary Diplomate Status
I. The ABDPH Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that the Board may grant honorary certification to individuals who do not possess all of the educational and practice limiting requirements to be eligible for specialty examination, but who have demonstrated unusual capability in related areas of endeavor and have made outstanding contributions to dental public health.
II. The awarding of Honorary Diplomate status is considered a significant recognition of an individual’s contributions to the field of dental public health and, thus, will most likely be offered relatively infrequently and depending on the quality of nominations received.
III. Award criteria:
The recipient should have demonstrated unusual capability in dental public health and a record of outstanding contributions to the specialty of dental public health.
The recipient does not meet the requirements to be eligible for dental specialty status.
IV Process:
The President of the ABDPH will appoint a nominations committee consisting of the Immediate Past-President and at least two diplomates who have not served on the Board.
A call for nominations will be made in each fall issue of the ABDPH newsletter with the nominations due to the National Office no later than February 1 of the following year.
Nominations should include:
A letter of nomination from an active diplomate of the ABDPH indicating how the individual meets the award criteria and why the nominee will most likely never meet board specialty eligibility criteria, and
A current curriculum vitae of the nominee.
All nominations will be reviewed by the committee and the committee may recommend one or more suitable candidates to the Board for their approval. The award of Honorary Diplomate does not have to be awarded every year.
The Honorary Diplomate will be invited to attend the annual business meeting and banquet to receive this honor, and will be presented a plaque, pin and certificate. The Board will provide the dinner and award at no cost to the awardee. However, transportation and housing costs to attend the annual business meeting will be the responsibility of the recipient.
No dues or fees will be required of the honorary nominee or diplomate.
The Honorary Diplomate will be recognized and profiled in a subsequent ABDPH newsletter.
The Honorary Diplomate may indicate this recognition on his/her curriculum vitae and similar documents as “Honorary Diplomate, American Board of Dental Public Health.”
V. Benefits for Honorary Diplomates will include:
Listing on ABDPH website,
Emailed ABDPH Newsletter,
No Annual Registration Fees,
Mailed/Emailed Invitation and
Announcement to attend Diplomates Annual Dinner and Business Meeting at the same cost as other Diplomates, and
Other benefits that the ABDPH deems appropriate.
VI. Suggested wording of plaque:
“The American Board of Dental Public Health
hereby bestows the title of
Honorary Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health
to
[Name]
in recognition of his/her outstanding contributions to
dental public health.”
VII. ABDPH Honorary Diplomate Recipients:
Harold Hillenbrand, D.D.S., Executive Director Emeritus, American Dental Association - Awarded~ 1970
Alice M. Horowitz, R.D.H., M.A., Ph.D., Awarded 2007
Alice M. Horowitz, RDH, MA, PhD was recognized as an Honorary Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health during the ABDPH 57th Annual Diplomates Meeting and Banquet on April 30, 2007. Honorary Diplomate Status recognizes individuals who have demonstrated unusual capability in related areas of endeavor and made outstanding contributions to dental public health, and could not be board-certified. Horowitz is a world-renowned dental public health researcher whose studies have addressed the full range of dental public health and public health issues, including dental caries prevention, dental health education, oral cancer prevention and early diagnosis, and health literacy among other topics. Her research, mentoring and teaching have both domestic and global impact. In recognition of her accomplishments and contributions, she received a desktop clock plaque, an ABDPH pin, and a standing ovation by the members present as she accepted the award.
Ernest Newbrun, B.D.S., M.S., D.M.D., Ph.D., Awarded 2009
Ernest Newbrun, B.D.S., M.S., D.M.D., Ph.D., was recognized as an Honorary Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health during the ABDPH 59th Annual Diplomates Meeting and Banquet on April 20, 2009.
Ronald J Billings, D.D.S., M.S.D., Awarded 2011
Ronald J Billings, D.D.S., M.S.D. was recognized as an Honorary Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health during the ABDPH 61st Annual Diplomates Meeting and Banquet on April 11, 2011.
VIII. Announcement:
American Board of Dental Public Health Invites Nominations for Honorary Diplomate. The American Board of Dental Public Health’s (ABDPH) Articles of Incorporation provide that the Board may grant honorary certification to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to dental public health and have demonstrated unusual capability in related areas of endeavor but who do not possess all of the educational and practice limiting requirements to be eligible for specialty examination. The awarding of Honorary Diplomate status is considered a significant recognition of an individual’s contributions to the field of dental public health.
Please forward your letter of nomination indicating how the individual meets the award criteria as well as the nominee’s current curriculum vitae to: Immediate Past-President ABDPH; Chair, Honorary Diplomate Nominating Committee Chair, Nominating Committee Address:
Telephone: E-mail:
Nominations may be submitted electronically to: [E-mail address of Chair, Nominating Committee]
Nominations must be received no later than February 1, for consideration prior to the ABDPH Annual Dinner and Business Meeting to be held Monday, [Date], during the National Oral Health Conference at [Name and Address of the Meeting].
IX. Committee:
President appoints Immediate Past-President (Chair) and at least two diplomates who have not served on the Board.
Chair writes announcement for publication of Nominations for Honorary Diplomate.
Committee reviews nominations and committee may recommend one or more suitable candidates to the Board for their approval. The award of Honorary Diplomate does not have to be awarded every year.
Award criteria:
The recipient should have demonstrated unusual capability in dental public health and a record of outstanding contributions to the specialty of dental public health.
The recipient does not meet the requirements to be eligible for dental specialty status.
If Honorary Diplomate is approved by the Board, the Chair will invite the Honorary Diplomate to attend the annual business meeting and banquet to receive this honor, and will be presented a plaque, pin and certificate. The Board will provide the dinner and award at no cost to the awardee. However, transportation and housing costs to attend the annual business meeting will be the responsibility of the recipient.
The Chair will write a short article concerning the new Honorary Diplomate for publication in the ABDPH newsletter.
