Press Releases

Isabelle Lombaert Named Recipient of the IADR Distinguished Scientist Salivary Research Award

Alexandria, VA, USA, June 22, 2022 – The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) announced that Isabelle Lombaert, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, is the recipient of the IADR Distinguished Scientist Salivary Research Award. Lombaert was recognized during the Opening Ceremonies of the virtual 100th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR, held in conjunction with the 5th Meeting of the Asia Pacific Region on June 20-25, 2022.

Lombaert is a researcher at the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry of University of Michigan, USA. She started her PhD training in the Netherlands at the University Medical Center Groningen. Soon after, she moved to the NIH-National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to complete post-doctoral training. She joined the University of Michigan-School of Dentistry in 2015. 

Lombaert has established a unique, active, and innovative research program and has made well-applauded efforts in cultivating multiple collaborations in pursuit of inventing new and novel therapeutic models to both target and understand diverse diseases occurring to salivary glands. 

She is known for her contributions in the regenerative stem cell field to repair irradiated glands in head and neck cancer patients suffering from xerostomia. She was also the first to provide scientific evidence of the potency of epithelial stem/progenitor cell transplantations as a viable option to repair irradiated glands. Lombaert established several assays and an in vivo rodent model to study radiation-induced xerostomia, which are still being used by researchers around the globe and strengthened the infrastructure for the salivary gland stem/progenitor cell field. 

She has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters and her efforts in the salivary gland field were awarded by multiple NIH-NIDCR grants. She was also awarded Salivary Gland Researcher of the Year in 2018 by the IADR Salivary Gland Research Group.

Supported by Unilever Oral Care, the IADR Salivary Research Award was designed to stimulate and recognize outstanding and innovative achievements that have contributed to the basic understanding of the salivary gland structure, secretion, and function, or salivary composition and function. It consists of a monetary award and a plaque, and is one of the 17 IADR Distinguished Scientist Awards, representing one of the highest honors bestowed by the IADR.

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About IADR
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide, with a Mission to drive dental, oral and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being worldwide. To learn more, visit www.iadr.org.