Alexandria, VA – Members of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) have elected Kimon Divaris, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as Vice-president and Mia L. Geisinger, University of Alabama at Birmingham, as Representative to the IADR/AADOCR Publications Committee. Their terms will commence at the conclusion of the 55th Annual Meeting of the AADOCR, which will be held in conjunction with the 104th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR) and the 50th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, from March 25-28, 2026 in San Diego, CA.
Divaris is a board-certified pediatric dentist and oral and genetic epidemiologist, currently serving as the James W. Bawden Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health at the UNC-Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry. His expertise covers a wide range of proximal and distal oral health determinants. His research program lies in the intersection of clinical research, oral epidemiology, and molecular sciences, with emphasis on childhood oral health. He has held major roles in NIH-supported research investigating genomics/multi-omics, behavioral, and community-level determinants of dental caries and periodontal diseases. His work includes the development and application of new methods and AI/ML, with the ultimate goal of advancing precision health.
An active member of the IADR/AADOCR since 2004, Divaris is currently a member of the IADR Behavioral, Epidemiologic, and Health Services Research, Pediatric Oral Health Research, Cariology Research, Periodontal Research, Microbiology/Immunology, Craniofacial Biology, Salivary Research, Mineralized Tissue, and the Education Research Groups. Over the last twenty years, he has contributed over 130 abstracts to the General Session and Annual Meeting and has been engaged in a multitude of IADR/AADOCR activities. He has served as Chair of the AADOCR Annual Session Committee and member of the IADR General Session Taskforce. He has organized and participated in numerous symposia, served as session chair, reviewed abstracts, spearheaded new activities such as listening sessions with Scientific Group/Network members across different IADR Regions, and served in several appointed and elected positions.
Maria (Mia) L. Geisinger is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Periodontology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also serves as the Director of Advanced Education in Periodontology. Throughout her academic career, she has held positions at UAB leading predoctoral periodontal education, periodontal clinical research, faculty development, media relations, and curricular review and development. She has also served as a research mentor to over thirty-five postdoctoral students seeking Master of Science degrees, five PhD candidates, and three postdoctoral fellows, as well as over fifty pre- and post-doctoral students conducting non-degree research. Geisinger has also been heavily involved in service to the dental profession through a variety of organizations. She has served as a Board member and President of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, as a member and Chair of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, as a Board Member for the ADA Science and Research Institute, as a Trustee for the American Academy of Periodontology, and as an Officer and President of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP). She is currently the AAP Immediate Past President.
Geisinger first became a member of IADR/AADOCR and IADR when she joined the faculty at UAB and attended the 2009 Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, where she was awarded the AADOCR William B. Clark Fellowship. This was instrumental in her development and retention in academia and research. Since then, she has authored more than thirty-five abstracts presented at AADOCR and IADR meetings as a first author or coauthor. She has also served in leadership within the Women in Science network (WISN), having served as the Program Chair, Councilor, and Corporate Liaison. These roles and her involvement in the executive council for the WISN allowed her to be involved in the development of symposia focused on research and academic development, with a focus on diversity and gender. She has also been a long-standing member of the Periodontal Research Group (PRG), working with many of their members on a variety of research and service projects.
About AADOCR
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being. AADOCR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit, and private-sector institutions who share our mission. AADOCR is the largest division of IADR. Learn more at www.aadocr.org
