Recognized for 50 Years of Contributions to Orthodontics

Ann Arbor, MI — September 14, 2009 — Dr. Lysle Johnston, Jr., who chaired the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, directed the graduate orthodontics program from 1991-2004, and who was the Robert W. Browne Professor of Dentistry, has been honored by the Ohio Dental Association for 50 years of contributions to the field of orthodontics. Johnston recently received the prestigious Callahan Memorial Award during this year’s Callahan Celebration of Excellence in Columbus, Ohio.

The award is one of the profession’s most prestigious and honors the work of John Ross Callahan, a noted Ohio dental researcher and leader in organized dentistry. Established by the association in 1920, committee members consider the achievements and contributions of nominees worldwide before selecting a recipient.

Johnston earned his DDS from U-M in 1961 and a Master of Science degree in orthodontics in 1964. He received the School of Dentistry’s Distinguished Service Award during graduation ceremonies in May 2005 for his contributions to U-M, the School, and orthodontics.

One of World’s “Top Orthodontic Educators”

Dr. Joseph T. Mellion, chair of the Callahan Memorial Award Commission, couldn’t say enough about how deserving Johnston is in receiving this award. “He has given so much to dentistry,” Mellion said. “He is one of the top orthodontic educators in the world.”

Johnston is the recipient of numerous honors, most notably the Albert H. Ketcham Award from the American Board of Orthodontics, the 5th International Award of the Italian Society of Orthodontists and the Dewel Award of the American Association of Orthodontics.

He has delivered the Mershon and Salzmann Lectures of the American Association of Orthodontics, the Angle Memorial Lecture of the E.H. Angle Society of Orthodontists (twice), the Northcroft Lecture of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics and the Arthur Thornton Taylor Memorial Lecture of the Australian Society of Orthodontics. He is a fellow of both the American and International colleges of dentistry and, by election, a fellow in dental surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons in England.

Johnston has served on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including the American Journal of Orthodontics, Dentofacial Orthopedics and the [British] Journal of Orthodontics. He was also a member of the Oral Biology and Medicine Study Section of the National Institutes of Health and a director of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists.

Johnston said it is a great honor to receive the Callahan Memorial Award, especially because of his strong Ohio ties and close friendships in the state.

“Ohio is really where I got my start,” he said. “I lived 12 years in Ohio and got part of my education there. My children were born there and my son graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I appreciate the significance of the Callahan Award, especially when it goes to someone from the wilds of ‘that state up north.’”

Johnston became interested in orthodontics when he was 12 and his father took him to see an orthodontist who vacationed in Traverse City. His interest in orthodontics led him to the pre-dental program at Central Michigan College, which he completed in two years. He arrived at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry when he was 19 and graduated from dental school in 1961.

Following graduation, Johnston studied anatomy at Queen’s University of Belfast in Northern Ireland. In 1962, he returned to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry to pursue a master’s degree in orthodontics and graduated in 1964. Johnston earned a PhD in anatomy from Case Western Reserve University in 1970 and chaired the Department of Orthodontics from 1971-1976. He went on to chair the orthodontic department at Saint Louis University from 1976-1991, and from 1991-2004 chaired the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, directed the graduate orthodontic program, and was director of the Robert W. Browne Professor of Dentistry at Michigan.

Setting a High Standard for Future Educators

Dr. Sunil Kapila, who has held these positions at U-M since Johnston’s retirement, lauded Johnston as “an exceptional intellectual who has continued to challenge his students and the profession. Lysle,” he added, “has always sustained a superior level of excellence as a teacher and scholar, and has set a high standard for future generations of educators. For all these reasons, he is highly deserving of the Callahan Memorial Award.”

For nearly 50 years, Johnston has studied the differential effects of various orthodontic treatments, the mechanisms of facial growth and the nature of the interaction between growth and treatment. Extramural support, both for this research and for the publications that have resulted from it, has been supplied by grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Johnston has written more the 50 papers for peer-reviewed publications, authored or co-authored more than 40 book chapters and has given more than 300 presentations and lectures to various professional organizations on his research worldwide.

While research has shaped Johnston’s career, he is a top educator of orthodontics. He has taught histology, neuroanatomy, orthodontic techniques, statistics, cephalometrics, facial growth, occlusal development and orthodontic history. During his academic career, Johnston has advised on approximately 100 master’s theses and has contributed to the education of approximately 500 orthodontic specialists.

Although officially retired since 2004, and nearly 72 years old, Johnston shows no signs of slowing down. He now teaches part-time in the three departments he once chaired at Case Western Reserve, Saint Louis University and the University of Michigan and continues to lecture around the world, this year lecturing in China, Japan and Canada.

The Ohio Dental Association serves over 5,400 members, approximately 80 percent of the state’s licensed dentists, through programs, services and member benefits. In addition, the ODA reaches out to consumers, educators, health professionals and others through education, advocacy and public service programs.