Fincham Receives IADR Distinguished Scientist Award

Alan Fincham, M.Sc., Ph.D., received the IADR's Basic Research in Biological Mineralization Award at the opening ceremonies of the International Association for Dental Research/American Association for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) meeting in San Diego, California on March 6. As one of the 15 Distinguished Scientist Awards conferred annually by the IADR, it represents the organization's highest honor.

The award acknowledges Fincham's pioneering contributions toward understanding the molecular and structural biology of enamel biomineralization. He is a recognized expert on amelogenin, the major protein in tooth development. "Through an assemblage of scientific data, much of which was derived in his own laboratory, Dr. Fincham has proposed a working hypothesis on enamel formation that helps to explain not only the process of mineralization, but also provides clues as to how nature controls tooth morphology," noted the IADR in announcing the award.

Fincham joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in 1985 and worked with a team of researchers at the School of Dentistry's Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology until his retirement last October.