Alexandria, VA – The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) has announced that Lord Jephthah Joojo Gowans is the 2023 recipient of the IADR Smile Train Cleft Research Award. Gowans, from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, was recognized during the Opening Ceremonies of the 101st General Session of the IADR, which was held in conjunction with the 9th Meeting of the Latin American Region and the 12th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry, that took place on June 21, 2023, in Bogotá, Colombia.
Gowans has been investigating the role of genetic and environmental risk factors in the etiology of complex disease traits through the use of genetics, genomics, and developmental biology techniques. His research focuses on dental and craniofacial genetics and genomics, including human orofacial clefts, dental anomalies, and craniosynostosis. I conceived, initiated, and carried out the first-ever genetics and genomics study on orofacial clefts and craniosynostosis among Ghanaians. These research activities led to collaborations with Cunningham Laboratory at the University of Washington, USA, as well as the Murray and Butali Laboratories at the University of Iowa, USA, for craniosynostosis and orofacial clefts research, respectively. Through the African Craniofacial Anomalies Research Network (AfriCRAN), Gowans collaborated with the Butali Lab and other scientists in Africa to carry out cutting-edge research on orofacial clefts in Africa. A publication from this collaborative research was the first ever to have implicated some genetic susceptibility loci in the etiology of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts among Africans.
The IADR Smile Train Cleft Research Award is jointly sponsored by IADR and Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused organization with a model of true sustainability. For over 20 years, Smile Train has supported safety and quality cleft care for more than 1.5 million children and will continue to do so until every child in need has access to the care they deserve.
IADR and Smile Train recognize the need for investigators to produce cleft-related research that can be applied to clinical practice and be used to maintain and improve the oral health and quality of life of children with clefts. The Award, in the amount of $75,000, is intended to help investigators pursue innovative and novel research that involves the oral health of children with clefts.
About IADR
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research for health and well-being worldwide. IADR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit, and private-sector institutions who share our mission. Learn more at www.iadr.org.