Alexandria, VA – The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) has named the recipients of the 2024 AADOCR Jack Hein Public Service Award. The recipients were recognized during the Opening Ceremonies of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the AADOCR, which was held in conjunction with the 102nd General Session of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on March 13-16, 2024 in New Orleans, LA.
The recipients are Karen Tracy, Gerontological Society of America, Washington, D.C. and Bei Wu, New York University, NY.
Tracy is Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Integrated Communications at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), a member of the FNIDCR Patient Advocacy Council. She has more than 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry and her responsibilities include overseeing the GSA’s multi-stakeholder collaborations, including the Oral Health as an Essential Element of Health Aging Initiative. She also serves on the senior leadership team that establishes organizational policy and presents to the GSA Executive Committee on budget, strategic planning, and performance. For 18 years, Tracy has held various leadership positions at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), including oversight of the association’s alliances with corporate sponsors.
Wu is the Dean’s Professor in Global Health and the Director for Global Health and Aging Research at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is also co-founder of the NYU Aging Incubator, a university-wide aging initiative, and an affiliated faculty at NYU College of Dentistry. She received the IADR J. Morita Junior Investigator Award in Geriatric Oral Health in 2007 and the Distinguished Scientist Award for Geriatric Oral Research in 2017. She is an internationally known leader in gerontology and has published extensively on a wide range of areas on aging and health, with particular focus on risk factors related to cognitive impairment, dementia caregiving, and geriatric oral health. She is a fellow of the GSA, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the New York Academy of Medicine.
AADOCR established this award to honor those AADOCR members who have given exemplary service in the area of public affairs by consistently promoting the interests and activities of oral health research to a wide constituency. The recipients are selected by the AADOCR Government Affairs Committee.
About AADOCR
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being. AADOCR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit and private-sector institutions who share our mission. AADOCR is the largest division of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research. Learn more at www.aadocr.org.