SmileCon Changemakers Celebration recognizes 10 Under 10 Award recipients
The American Dental Association honored this year’s recipients of the ADA 10 Under 10 Awards during the Changemakers Celebration at SmileCon 2025 in Washington, D.C.
The awards were first presented at the Elevate leadership conference in March. The winners include Sara Ehsani, D.D.S.; Adam Lowenstein, D.M.D.; Craig McKenzie, D.M.D.; Kathryn Pawlak, D.D.S.; Eddie Ramirez, D.M.D.; Allison C. Scully, D.D.S.; Lyubov Daniilovna Slashcheva, D.D.S.; Akshay Thusu, D.D.S.; Yi-Chu Wu, D.D.S.; and Lauren C. Yap, D.M.D.
“Developed by the New Dentist Committee in 2017, this award recognizes 10 amazing dentists who graduated from [a] dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation less than 10 years ago, and who shine brightly in science, research and education; practice excellence; philanthropy; leadership; and advocacy,” SmileCon host ArNelle Wright, D.M.D., told the audience at the Changemakers Celebration.
The celebration took place Oct. 24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. In addition to the 10 Under 10 winners, it recognized recipients of the ADA Distinguished Service Award, ADA Humanitarian Award, Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Awards and Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research. The event also featured the first-, second- and third-place videos from the ADA’s 2024 Dental Student Health Literacy Video Contest.
The nomination period for the 2026 ADA 10 Under 10 Awards will open in January 2026. More information will be posted on ADA.org/10under10 soon.
