Mary MacDougall, Ph.D., associate dean for research, James R. Rosen Chair of Dental Research and professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, has been named the 89th president of the International Association for Dental Research at the Association’s 90th General Session & Exhibition in Iguaçu Falls, Brazil.
MacDougall, who also is director of UAB’s Institute of Oral Health Research and the Global Center for Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Disorders, is an internationally respected research leader in craniofacial developmental biology and dental genetics.
Her research focuses on determining the molecular basis and mechanisms associated with human dental genetic disorders that alter tooth number, formation and hard tissue structure, as well as formation of dental-specific cell types that form specialized extracellular matrices for tooth regeneration. Her work has been continuously funded since 1985.
“Dr. MacDougall has been an active member of IADR since 1987, and has served on numerous committees and as president of the American Association for Dental Research,” says IADR Executive Director Christopher H. Fox. “She is a leader in the field, and I am confident that her leadership skills and expertise in dental and oral health will aid in IADR’s efforts to address issues facing the global research community.”
“It’s an honor representing the more than 12,000 members of the IADR engaged in craniofacial, dental and oral health research worldwide,” MacDougall says. “During my presidency, I will be focusing on increasing our organization’s membership in China and India and establishing a formal network to foster student training and research.”
MacDougall earned her Ph.D. in craniofacial biology at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California and her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. In 2001, she received the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Pulp Biology Research and in 2005 the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Mineralized Tissue Research. She went on to receive the AADR National Student Group Mentorship Award in 2003 and the AADR Distinguished Mentorship Award in 2010. In 2006, she was honored as an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow.