The Academy of Osseointegration (AO) honored five clinicians with Fellowship status during the Opening Symposium of its 2018 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles earlier in March. The AO awards fellowship to those who demonstrate a commitment to the field of osseointegration and who excel in both academics and service to the organization.
The first recognized Fellow was Joan Pi Anfruns, DMD, assistant clinical professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry. A member of AO since 2006, he has chaired the group’s Young Clinicians Committee and most recently served on the Research Submissions Committee. He has coauthored 11 scientific articles and five textbook chapters and has contributed to 49 research abstracts presented at AO’s Annual Meetings.
The second was Joseph P. Fiorellini, DMD, DMSc, a periodontist who joined AO in 1998 and is now a member of its Board of Directors. He has chaired the AO-OF Research Grant Committee and served on the Predoctoral Education Forum and Fellowship and Certificate Committee. An associate editor for AO’s International Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Implants (JOMI) for the past seven years, he has authored or coauthored more than 50 scientific articles.
Next was Earl G. Freymiller, DMD, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who joined AO in 2004. He has chaired the William R. Laney Award Committee and served on the Fellowship and Certificate in Implant Dentistry Accreditation Committee. Also, he has presented numerous topics at AO meetings and coauthored at least 16 articles in various peer reviewed scientific journals.
The fourth new Fellow was Robert A. Levine, DDS, a periodontist who joined AO in 1986. He has presented numerous scientific lectures at the group’s Annual Meetings and has served on its Clinical Innovations Committee, Research Submission Committee, and this year’s Annual Meeting Program Committee. He also serves on six editorial boards including JOMI and has authored at least 27 scientific articles and two textbook chapters.
The final Fellow was Christian Mertens, DDS, an associate professor and assistant medical director for oral surgery at the University of Heidelberg. A member of AO since 2011, he has served on the Website Education and Clinical Innovations committees. He also has presented numerous oral research and poster abstracts at AO meetings and authored at least 18 articles in JOMI and other scientific journals.
“While not a form of credentialing, the Academy of Osseointegration Board of Directors believes that attaining Fellowship of the Academy says more about our members than case presentations or examination of knowledge,” said AO president Michael Norton, BDS. “It sets the standard for those who take their continuing professional education seriously, have a strong commitment to the field of implant dentistry, and recognize the incredible value that volunteerism and philanthropy have to the profession.”
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