2025 Call for Award Nominations

ACFD Distinguished Service Award

The ACFD Distinguished Service Award was established in 2008 to recognise individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to dental education, dental academia, and dental scholarship in Canada.

This extraordinary award is presented annually to an individual or group whose contributions to teaching, research or service within dental education are of such significance and/or span a significant part of a career that special recognition is warranted.

The Award
The award comprises:

• A permanent plaque listing recipients held at the office of the ACFD as well as an individual plaque to be awarded to each recipient;
• A cheque of $2,500 to the recipient; and,
• Expenses paid for the recipient to attend the award ceremony, up to $2,000.

Nominations
Anyone is eligible to nominate an individual or group for an ACFD Distinguished Service Award. The Award will be announced and a call for nominations will be made annually by the office of the ACFD. The nomination requires:

• A primary letter of nomination;
• Two supporting letters of nomination; and,
• A Curriculum Vitae or similar detailed description of the contributions of the individual or group.

Criteria
No specific criteria are defined. Deserving individuals or groups should be self-evident based on the significance and/or duration of contributions made to dental education, dental academia and dental scholarship. Such contributions may be at the local, regional, national or international level.

Selection
The sitting ACFD Board will adjudicate nominations.

Announcement
The award will be made by the president of the ACFD at an appropriate time and place such as the ACFD Biennial Conference or similar conference or meeting of national interest.

ACFD National Dental Teaching Award

The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD) is pleased to recognise exceptional contributions to dental education at Canadian Universities through the creation of the ACFD National Dental Teaching Award.

A maximum of one award can be presented annually to a faculty member who has displayed the qualities of an outstanding dental educator. The award will be formally announced and presented to the recipient at a significant dental gathering each year.

The Award
The award comprises:

• A cheque of $2,500 to the recipient;
• Expenses paid for the recipient to attend the award ceremony, up to $2,000; and,
• An award certificate.

Eligibility
The award is open to any faculty member currently teaching within a Canadian DDS/DMD program. Only one nominee may be nominated from each dental institution. The recipient of the award should demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Knowledge of the theory of teaching and learning, as demonstrated through the organisation and presentation of didactic and/or clinical instruction;
• Involvement of student participation in the learning process;
• Specification of performance standards and stimulation of students to reach those standards; ability to communicate effectively;
• Accessibility to students outside class;
• Development of rapport with students; and,
• Utilisation of evaluation methods which assess the higher levels of learning.

Criteria for the Award
The Selection Committee will look for independent evidence of the following:

• Teaching excellence as shown by course evaluations and letters of support from students and colleagues;
• Contributions to education as shown by invited lectures, chapter and text authorship and other contributions to knowledge and understanding important to dentists beyond the nominee’s home institution.
• Work on innovative curriculum projects; and,
• Innovative teaching methodologies or special teaching techniques and materials and methods of evaluation of students;
• Educational leadership as shown by the creation and presentation of seminars, workshops, conferences, invited presentations or other events on teaching/learning conducted by the nominee, plus scientific and educational publications.

Examples of Independent Evidence

• Data from teaching evaluations over several years
• Special course development efforts
• Teaching awards received
• A description of any particularly effective teaching strategies
• Letters of support from students, alumni and/or colleagues
• Examples of course materials
• A summary of seminars, workshops, conferences or other events on teaching/ learning conducted by the nominee
• Publications on university teaching/learning
• Work on curriculum projects
• Examples of leadership in educational development
• Publication of educational materials relevant to the nominee’s area of expertise

Selection Process
Each nominee will be evaluated in three categories:

• Excellence in teaching
• Scholarship in education
• Other significant contribution to dental education

It is expected that most nominees will excel primarily in one area and the selection process is weighted to recognise nominees with high ratings in one area over those with average ratings in more than one area.

The Selection Committee is comprised of a Chair and three representatives selected by the Academic Affairs Committee. Selection will be based on evidence submitted in the nomination material. Members of the Selection Committee will not vote/evaluate a nominee from their own faculty. It is the responsibility of the selection committee to determine that the nominees meet a standard worthy of this national award. The Committee can determine that no award be made in a given year.

Nomination Procedure
Nominations will be accepted from students, alumni or colleagues. The Selection Committee requires the nomination material to be submitted electronically. Completed nomination material must include:

• Covering letter from the nominator outlining the justification for the nomination;
• Letter from the Dean, or equivalent, that addresses the nominee’s special qualifications for the award;
• Curriculum Vitae of the nominee;
• Statement of the nominee’s teaching philosophy;
• Independent evidence that the nominee’s teaching is very highly regarded by students, alumni and/or colleagues, and that the nominee has played a leadership role in the development of university teaching and learning; and,
• Listing of submitted documentation.

Dental institutions are encouraged to re-nominate candidates who were not chosen the following year. There is no limit to the number of times nominations may be re-submitted for this award.

ACFD/CADR National Dental Research Award

The Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR) along with the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD) are pleased to recognize exceptional contributions to dental research at Canadian Universities through the creation of the ACFD/CADR National Dental Research Award.

A maximum of one award can be presented annually to a faculty member who has displayed the qualities of an outstanding dental researcher.

The Award
The award comprises:

• A cheque of $2,500 to the recipient;
• Expenses paid for the recipient to attend the award ceremony, up to $2,000; and,
• An award certificate.

Eligibility
The award is open to any faculty member currently performing research who is a member of CADR in the year nominated and who holds a primary faculty affiliation within a Canadian Dental Institution. Only one nominee may be nominated from each dental institution. A nominee may only win the award once in their academic career. A maximum of one award can be presented annually to a faculty member.

The recipient of the award should demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Knowledge of their field of study and its significance to oral health as demonstrated through the organization and presentation of research seminars, lectures, and symposia;
• Significant contribution to the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the field of oral health;
• Ability to communicate effectively;
• Outstanding mentorship;
• Utilisation of innovative and creative approaches to problem solving;
• Profound and lasting effect on current knowledge within a field relevant to oral health.

Criteria for the Award
The Selection Committee will look for independent evidence of the following:

• Research excellence as shown by publications, awards, and letters of support from students and colleagues; summary of seminars, workshops, conferences, invited presentations or other events on research/scholarship conducted by the nominee;
• Academic achievement as evidenced by invited lectures, peer reviewed manuscripts, review chapters, and other unique contributions to discovery, translation, clinical care, education, public health, or knowledge dissemination important to the field of oral health beyond the nominee’s home institution.
• Strong commitment to and excellence in the mentorship of future scientists and scholars
• Innovative research methodologies or special research techniques and materials and methods of evaluation of students;
• Leadership in the creation of new knowledge as shown by the following:
  • Leadership in new initiatives and/or programs that create research excellence;
  • Leadership at the local, national or international level that promotes research and scholarship
  • Evidence of creative and innovative leadership in discovery research in a field of oral health.

Examples of Achievements in Research

• Number and quality of peer-reviewed publications over the past several years
• Publication of review articles and opinion pieces relevant to the nominee’s area of expertise
• Awards received
• A description of any innovative new research methodologies, patents or products
• Letters of support from colleagues, trainees and/or others in oral health field
• Amount and source of research funding
• A summary of seminars, workshops, conferences or other events on oral health conducted by the nominee
• Number and quality of trainees mentored and resultant success in research fields
• Examples of impact of leadership in research and scholarship

Selection Process
Each nominee will be evaluated in three categories:

• Research/Scholarship in Oral Health
• Excellence in Research Mentorship
• Leadership in Dental Medicine Research

It is expected that most nominees will excel primarily in one area and the selection process is weighted to recognize nominees with high ratings in one area over those with average ratings in more than one area. Selection will focus on the IMPACT of the nominee’s research, leadership and mentorship qualities rather than the quantity of activities performed.

The Selection Committee is comprised of a Chair and representatives identified by the ACFD Research Committee. Selection will be based on evidence submitted in the nomination material. Members of the Selection Committee will not vote/evaluate a nominee from their own faculty. It is the responsibility of the selection committee to determine that the nominees meet a standard worthy of this national award. The Committee can determine that no award be made in a given year. The award will be presented at a suitable annual meeting of the ACFD or the CADR.

Nomination Material
Nominations will be accepted from students, alumni or colleagues. The Selection Committee requires an electronic copy of the complete nomination material in pdf format. Nomination material can be no longer than 50 pages. Completed nomination material must include:

• a covering letter from the nominator outlining the justification for the nomination;
• a letter from the Dean, or equivalent, that addresses the nominee’s special qualifications for the award;
• a curriculum vitae of the nominee;
• a statement of the nominee’s research contributions;
• independent evidence that the nominee’s research is very highly regarded by students, alumni and/or colleagues, and that the nominee has played a leadership role in the development of university, national or international scholarship;
• a listing of submitted documentation.

Dental institutions are encouraged to re-nominate candidates who were not chosen during previous nomination cycles. There is no limit to the number of times nominations may be re-submitted for this award.