EDITORS: Black and white head-and-shoulder pictures of both are available.

ANN ARBOR—Two University of Michigan School of Dentistry professors—Drs. Lysle Johnston and James McNamara—will receive the highest honors bestowed by the specialty of orthodontics this weekend during the American Association of Orthodontists’ (AAO) annual meeting in Toronto.

Johnston, chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry and the Robert W. Browne Professor of Orthodontics, will receive the American Board of Orthodontics‘ highest award, the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award.

Created in 1936, the prestigious award is presented annually to an orthodontist who has made a notable contribution to the science and art of orthodontics. Previous winners with ties to the U-M School of Dentistry include former chair, Dr. Robert Moyers (1988), Dr. Joseph Jarabak (1983), and Dr. Thomas Graber (1975).

Johnston earned his dental degree from the U-M in 1961, a master of science in orthodontics from U-M in 1964, and his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. He has been chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry and the Robert W. Browne Professor of Dentistry since returning to the U-M in 1991.

Johnston delivered the Jacob A. Salzmann Lecture at the 1998 national meeting of the AAO and the John V. Mershon Memorial Lecture in 1990. He has written more than 50 papers for peer-reviewed publications, authored or co-authored more than 40 chapters for books, and has given more than 300 presentations and lectures to various professional organizations worldwide.

McNamara, the Thomas M. and Doris Graber Endowed Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, will receive the AAO’s highest award, the James E. Brophy Distinguished Service Award. McNamara is also a research scientist at the Center for Human Growth and Development.

McNamara received his dental and orthodontic education at the University of California, San Francisco, and a Ph.D. in anatomy from the U-M. He has taught at the U-M since 1972 and joined the faculty at the School of Dentistry in 1984. He has taught various orthodontic courses on both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

McNamara, who has received numerous awards for his research, delivered the Jacob A. Salzmann Lecture at the 1994 national meeting of the AAO. He received the B.F. Dewel Biomedical Research Award from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation in 1997. He has published more than 140 papers in scientific journals; has written, edited, or contributed to nearly 50 books; and has presented courses on orthodontics and craniofacial growth in 27 countries.

“I can not recall a time when two distinguished faculty members from the same department simultaneously received the highest awards bestowed by two different organizations in the same specialty,” said William Kotowicz, dean of the School of Dentistry. “Already world-renowned for their contributions to the specialty of orthodontics, the presence of both Dr. Johnston and Dr. McNamara at the School of Dentistry is a major reason we continue to attract the highest caliber students.”

The U-M School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction train future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. More information is available on the Web at http://www.dent.umich.edu.

School of DentistryDepartment of Orthodontics and Pediatric DentistryCenter for Human Growth and DevelopmentAmerican Association of Orthodontists Foundationhttp://www.dent.umich.edu