Alexandria, VA, USA, June 22, 2022 – The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) announced that Saman Warnakulasuriya, Kings College London, United Kingdom, is the recipient of the IADR Distinguished Scientist in Global Oral Health Research Award. Warnakulasuriya 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.
Warnakulasuriya started his journey in 1970 at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and later at King's College London, where he retired in 2016. He spent his academic life contributing to international research on oral cancer (leading as a PI on numerous projects and jointly with multicentre groups), advancing the science, innovating discoveries made (both in the laboratory and in the clinic) to be recognized as an international expert in the field. His contribution to translational research is widely acknowledged, and he is an acknowledged teacher/guest speaker at many forums in Oral Medicine and Oral Oncology.
Warnakulasuriya served on several committees of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, UK, the Department of Health UK, and the British Dental Association. Over his prolific career, he collaborated with researchers worldwide, supervised PhD students, and was actively involved in editorial roles of prestigious journals in the field of Oral Medicine. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers.
The Global Oral Health Research Award is supported by GlaxoSmithKline. One of the 17 IADR Distinguished Scientist Awards, it is one of the highest honors bestowed by IADR. The IADR Global Oral Health Research Award honors IADR and AADOCR Past President John Greenspan, who is the founding President of the IADR Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Network and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health’s Global Oral Health Interest Group. The award consists of a monetary award and a plaque and recognizes research that addresses inequalities in global oral health.
View a PDF for this press release online.
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.