ADA applauds award winners during Changemakers Celebration
Betsy Shapiro, D.D.S., J.D., receives Association’s highest honor
The American Dental Association honored its 2026 award winners Oct. 9 during the Changemakers Celebration at the ADA 2026 Scientific Session in Indianapolis.
The ceremony celebrated recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, Humanitarian Award, 10 Under 10 Award, Dr. David Whiston Leadership Award, Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, and Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty and Practice Awards.
Distinguished Service Award
When presenting the ADA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, President Richard Rosato, D.M.D., said every organization has moments when it looks for a lighthouse: someone who can provide stability, perspective and hope even when things get dark.
“For me and our ADA, Dr. Shapiro, you were that lighthouse,” Dr. Rosato told award winner Elizabeth “Betsy” Shapiro, D.D.S., J.D., who led the ADA as interim executive director in 2025.
In that role, Dr. Shapiro’s priority was to support organizational initiatives at a thoughtful pace while seeking to build trust and transparency across the tripartite, according to an ADA news release. This included encouraging collaborative listening sessions to help address technology stabilization and financial stewardship. During her more than 15 years at the ADA, Dr. Shapiro also served as senior director for the Center for Dental Practice Policy and now as chief of governance and strategy management.
“Her service, leadership and deep commitment to this profession leaves a legacy that will be felt long after her time in this role,” Dr. Rosato said. “For her extraordinary leadership, unwavering service and lasting contributions to the American Dental Association, it is my greatest honor to present you with this highest honor of the ADA, the Distinguished Service Award.”
Humanitarian Award
Dr. Rosato also presented the Humanitarian Award to Jeffrey Moses, D.D.S., in honor of his volunteer work. As the founder of Smile International Foundation, Dr. Moses has provided free surgical care to thousands of underprivileged children with cleft and craniofacial anomalies in the U.S. and abroad.
“Dr. Moses is the embodiment of an extraordinary clinician and an extraordinary human being,” Dr. Rosato said. “Through his tireless service and commitment to improving lives around the world, Dr. Moses has demonstrated the profound difference dentistry can make when combined with enduring compassion and generosity. His work is an inspiration to our entire ADA community and a powerful reminder to us all of our profession’s highest calling.”
10 Under 10 Award
The Changemakers Celebration was hosted by ADA New Dentist Committee Chair Kayla Klingensmith, D.M.D. The New Dentist Committee chose the recipients of the 10 Under 10 Award for demonstrating excellence and inspiring others in science, research and education; practice excellence; philanthropy; leadership; and advocacy. All 10 awardees are ADA members who graduated from dental school less than 10 years ago.
This year’s honorees include Monique R. Belin, D.M.D.; Andrew Fraser, D.M.D.; Megan Krohn, D.D.S.; Ivy F. Lin, D.M.D.; Joseph Anthony Manzella-Kane, D.D.S.; Jessica Sliger, D.D.S.; Hitesh Vij, D.M.D.; Jonathan Vogel, D.D.S.; Dylan J. Weber, D.D.S.; and ArNelle Wright, D.M.D.
Dr. David Whiston Leadership Award
Dr. Manzella-Kane also received the Dr. David Whiston Leadership Award from the ADA Foundation in recognition of his commitment to mentorship, advocacy and the dental profession. The award provides funds to cover the costs associated with attending a leadership program approved by the foundation.
Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research
The Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, sponsored by Listerine, recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions in clinical investigations that have advanced the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of craniofacial, oral or dental diseases, as well as outstanding research endeavors in other areas.
Winner Daniel Fine, D.M.D., has led research into the causes of localized aggressive periodontitis on a biological, molecular and clinical level with the goal of developing preventative strategies. He is the chair of the oral biology department and senior associate dean at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.
Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty and Practice Awards
The Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty and Practice Awards, sponsored by Colgate, honor dental educators and clinicians for their contributions to evidence-based dentistry in research, practice or education.
During her time at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Deborah Polk, Ph.D. — who received the Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award — has built a nationally recognized program focused on moving evidence-informed oral health guidelines into routine dental care. In collaboration with the ADA, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Polk helped develop two clinical practice guidelines on the management of acute dental pain.
Julie Frantsve-Hawley, Ph.D., recipient of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Mid-Career Faculty Award, helped launch the ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry in 2007 and served as the center's senior director from 2012 to 2014, working with the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs to build the ADA's clinical practice guideline program. She teaches at both A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies and the Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry.
