The Shils Annual Awards Program recognizes organizations, programs, clinicians, executives, and other healthcare leaders for their significant positive impacts on the oral health of the public.
“Since we first conceived of these awards, they’ve prominently celebrated the innovators, big thinkers, and fearless entrepreneurs whose vision for our industry has shaped the oral health of so many. The honorees continue to exemplify Dr. Shils’s belief that the values of entrepreneurship and education create long-lasting and far-reaching impacts when carried into the public health sector.”
– Steven W. Kess, President of the Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund’s Board of Directors.
Description of Awards:
Innovator Awards: This award is given to people and programs from across the health care community in recognition of their bold impact on the field and their respective communities. The categories include:
- The Shils -Meskin Award, our highest honor award, is given to those who have made outstanding contributions to dentistry or its allied sciences, and is named for two distinguished clinicians, researchers, and educators: Dr. Edward Shils and Dr. Larry Meskin.
- The Cohen-Volpe Award is given to those who made great innovative strides in the health care space and honors Dr. D. Walter Cohen and Dr. Anthony Volpe.
- Excellence in Industry
- Excellence in Community Service/NGO
- Excellence in Academic/Research
- The Special Recognition Award is given to individuals, organizations or programs that have made significant positive impacts on the dental community.
The Board of Directors seeks nominees from all parts of the dental community. We recognize that the dental industry, the academic community, dental clinicians and organized dentistry, and community-based organizations each have distinct and valuable resources to contribute to the advancement of the practice of dentistry and the delivery of oral health care to all people.
Shils Past Award Winners
View Complete List of Past Award Winners
| Name/Organization | Year of Award | Type of Award |
| 1300 Smiles and Youth With A Mission Medical Ships – Australia | 2013 | Special Recognition Award |
| 3M ESPE | 2014 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Michael C. Alfano | 2004 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Michael Alfano | 2020 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity | 2017 | Shils Innovator Award |
| American Dental Association/GlaxoSmithKline Oral Longevity Program | 2009 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Diane Amos | 2010 | Founder Award |
| Dr. Musa Bajali | 2008 | Founder Award |
| Stanley M. Bergman | 2012 | Champion of the Decade Award |
| Ms. Meg Booth | 2019 | Excellence in a Nonprofit Organization Award |
| Stephen Boss | 2011 | Founder Award |
| Dr. Joseph Brofsky | 2019 | Excellence in a Community Service Award |
| Dr.Marsha E. Butler | 2004 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Lawrence Caplin | 2009 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Thomas Chappell | 2006 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Children’s Oral Health Network | 2015 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Larry M. Coffee | 2006 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. D. Walter Cohen | 2008 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Lois K. Cohen | 2012 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Congressman Elijah E. Cummings | 2009 | Special Recognition Award |
| Eve Cuny, RDA, OSAP | 2020 | Excellence in a Nonprofit Organization Award |
| Delta Dental Plan of Wisconsin | 2004 | Shils Innovator Award |
| DENTSPLY International | 2008 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Dominick DePaola | 2013 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Terry Dickinson | 2007 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Jack Dillenberg | 2012 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Jack Dillenberg | 2018 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Teresa A. Dolan | 2019 | Excellence in Industry Award |
| Dr. Bruce Donoff | 2014 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Art Dugoni | 2007 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Burton Edelstein | 2011 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Robert Edwab | 2016 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Michael Bergermann, Dr. Ruben Cohen, and Ilona Eichenberger | 2010 | Special Recognition Award |
| Kathy Eklund, RDH, OSAP | 2020 | Excellence in a Nonprofit Organization Award |
| Dr. Caswell Evans | 2007 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Cecile Feldman | 2015 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Daniel H. Fine | 2019 | Cohen Volpe |
| Dr. Allen Finkelstein | 2011 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Allen Finkelstein | 2018 | Cohen Volpe Award |
| Mr, Jost Fisher | 2012 | Special Recognition Award |
| Fit for School Inc. | 2010 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Ralph Fuccillo | 2010 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Ms. Fran Gallager | 2018 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Robert Ganley | 2020 | Excellence in Industry Award |
| Ms. Tracy Garland | 2014 | Special Recognition Award |
| Malcolm Gladwell | 2006 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Michael Glick | 2010 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Goldie’s Place | 2009 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Matilde Hernandez Gonzalez | 2018 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Jay S. Grossman | 2009 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Horst-Wolfgang Haase | 2014 | Special Recognition Award |
| Henry Schein Cares | 2017 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr, Eric J. Hovland | 2006 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Amid Ismail | 2015 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Kathryn Kell | 2017 | Shils Innovator Award |
| John D. Kemp | 2018 | Special Recognition Award |
| Steven W. Kess | 2007 | Special Recognition Award |
| Steven W. Kess | 2017 | Cohen Volpe Award |
| Dr. Robert Klaus | 2008 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Dushanka Kleinman | 2007 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Stephen LeBeau | 2019 | Excellence in Research Award |
| Dr. Karen Fields – Lever | 2019 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Laurie McCauley | 2016 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Joseph McManus. | 2015 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Jessica Meeske | 2010 | Special Recognition Award |
| Robert Mehalso | 2018 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Miracle Corners of the World | 2005 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Miracle Corners of the World Tanzanian Dental School Renovation Project | 2009 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Wendy Mouradian | 2013 | Shils Innovator Award |
| National Museum of Dentistry (NMD) | 2008 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Linda Niessen | 2014 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Kathleen O’Loughlin | 2015 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Jeffrey Parker | 2014 | Special Recognition Award |
| Jeffrey Perelman | 2011 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dan Perkins | 2020 | Cohen Volpe |
| Dr. Steven Perlman | 2010 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Mery Pettiette | 2018 | Special Recognition Award |
| Philadelphia FIGHT Health Care Centers | 2020 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Mitchell Pines | 2007 | Founder Award |
| Gary Price | 2011 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Carolyn Primus | 2016 | Shils Innovator Award |
| RADM Timothy L. Ricks | 2020 | Special Recognition Award |
| Robert T. Freeman Dental Society Foundation | 2009 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Alejandro Roisentul | 2017 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Marc Rothman | 2014 | Special Recognition Award |
| Donald Rubin | 2012 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. David Satcher | 2013 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Robert Schattner | 2013 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Senior Mobile Dental | 2011 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Cherilyn G. Sheets | 2008 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Steven and Sandra Sheller, 11th Street Family Health Services | 2016 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Othman Shibly | 2016 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Irvin Silverstein | 2014 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Jeanne Sinkford | 2013 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Harold Slavkin | 2011 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Nancy Spector, Program for Women (ELAM) | 2004 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. George Blue Spruce Jr. | 2013 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Adam Stabholz | 2008 | Founder Award |
| Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak | 2016 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Martin Tansy | 2008 | Founder Award |
| Town & Country Dental Studios | 2017 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Lori Trost | 2007 | Shils Innovator Award |
| University of Washington Pediatric Clinic | 2011 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Urban Genesis and the I-LEAD Sister Program | 2005 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Richard Valachovic | 2020 | Excellence in Academia Award |
| Dr. Kris Volcheck | 2018 | Shils Innovator Award |
| Dr. Anthony Volpe | 2009 | Shils Meskin Award |
| Dr. Blake M. Warner | 2020 | Excellence in Research Award |
| Norman Weinstock | 2013 | Special Recognition Award |
| Dr. Sidney Whitman | 2016 | Special Recognition Award |
| Sam Zarbiv | 2012 | Special Recognition Award |
View Award Winners by Year