Mahmoud Torabinejad Receives Edgar D. Coolidge Award from American Association of Endodontists

One of Loma Linda’s finest researchers, professors, and dental health providers has been named the winner of the 2016 Edgar D. Coolidge Award from the American Association of Endodontists (AAE). Mahmoud Torabinejad, DMD, PhD, MSD, professor of endodontics at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, is scheduled to receive the award during the association’s annual meeting on April 8, 2016, at the George Moscone Center in San Francisco. Torabinejad’s achievement is significant for two reasons: First, the Coolidge Award is the highest honor the association bestows on practitioners who represent the highest ideals of the profession and display leadership and exemplary dedication to dentistry and endodontics. Second, Torabinejad will become the first person in history to receive a total of four high honors from the AAE. Besides Torabinejad, only two iconic AAE members have received even three awards—his mentor Henry J. Van Hassel, DDS, former Journal of Endodontics editor, and I.B. Bender, DDS, chairman emeritus of dentistry at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Which means, of course, that Torabinejad, with four awards, is in a class by himself. Recognized around the world as one of the towering giants of his field, Torabinejad is quite likely the single most recognized endodontist in the world. In support of his nomination, a number of leading AAE members—including four former AAE Presidents and three former Coolidge Award winners—wrote letters of recommendation to the organization’s honors and awards committee. These individuals were profuse in their praises. Former AAE President James C. Kulild, DDS, MS, said Torabinejad, “has contributed materially to the successful progress of endodontic research and treatment,” noting that Torabinejad is cited more often than any other author in the field. “What a tremendous accomplishment and a sign of the significance of his work and those of his colleagues,” Kulild exulted. Former Coolidge Award winner Joseph D. Maggio, DDS, observed that Torabinejad “has dedicated his life to teaching, research and the American Association of Endodontists.” Former AAE President Jerome V. Pisano, DDS, MS, another Coolidge Award winner, stated that Torabinejad “should and must be recognized for his dedication and leadership in the AAE,” adding that, “no one is better qualified to receive the next Edgar D. Coolidge Award.” Gerald C. Dietz, DDS, a Coolidge Award winner and former AAE president, cited the fact that Torabinejad has held numerous state, national, and international leadership positions including the presidency of the AAE, the AAE Foundation, the Southern California Academy of Endodontics, and the California State Association of Endodontists. Dietz shared that Torabinejad: • Completely restructured the format of scientific presentations for AAE members and residents during his tenure as Chair of the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee (RSAC) • Secured funding for competitive resident presentations to the RSAC • Served one term on the AAE’s Educational Affairs Committee and one term on the AAE Foundation Dietz and other Torabinejad’s supporters expanded on his transformation of the AAE Foundation. “No one can ever forget his nearly single-handed resurrection of the AAE Foundation and its eventual booming success,” Pisano stated. “He has been an ambassador for our specialty all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East.” Dietz said Torabinejad’s volunteer service to the AAE “resulted in restructuring the Endowment and Memorial Foundation of the AAE and building our prestigious AAE Foundation. Without restructuring of our prestigious AAE Foundation—which is the envy of other dental specialties—we would not have been able today to spend millions of dollars in support of vital research and educational programs.” Maggio agrees. “Perhaps Mahmoud’s greatest contribution was to the Foundation,” he affirms. “He was solely responsible for making the Foundation the envy of all the other specialty foundations with his fundraising efforts when our Foundation was struggling and underfunded. The Foundation now oversees grants for endodontic research, graduate student research, and stipends for teachers of endodontics, and supports activities that generate knowledge that enhance endodontics. The prestige of our specialty is elevated by our Foundation.” Kulild adds a very strong endorsement of his own. “His unselfish efforts were instrumental in making the AAE Foundation one of the great dental philanthropic organizations emulated by other dental organizations,” he wrote. “His work as one of the early pioneers of this great organization is worthy of great praise.” Louis Rossman, DMD, the current Foundation for Endodontics president, says Torabinejad left a powerful legacy. “The AAE Foundation would not be the success it is today without Mahmoud Torabinejad,” Rossman acknowledges. “We are about to explore a new future through strategic planning. So, this is an especially meaningful time to honor his contribution. Mahmoud had the original vision for what this organization could become. He was among a handful of people who had the courage to dream big and the conviction to pursue lofty goals. We cannot thank him enough.” In transitioning to academics, Maggio noted that Torabinejad “continues to teach worldwide and may be one of the most recognized endodontist researchers in the world.” The visiting scholar program at LLUSD caught the attention of Kulild who noted that Torabinejad has educated, trained and inspired many endodontic researchers. “These researchers are currently conducting significant investigations in China, Italy, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and other countries. His efforts have significantly influenced the course of endodontic research and clinical treatment worldwide.” Dietz shared that Torabinejad stressed the importance of integrity in dental education and initiated the groundwork for endowed endodontic chairs around the USA, including the Buell Endowed Professorship at LLUSD. Dietz and Maggio noted Torabinejad’s distinguished service at both Harvard School of Dental Medicine and LLUSD. Maggio recalled that, “Loma Linda recognized him in 2013 with the Distinguished Investigator Award, which encompasses the entire university and not just the dental school.” Dietz pointed out that Torabinejad developed mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), adding that MTA has profoundly impacted the practice of endodontics and improved the outcome of many seemingly hopeless situations while saving countless individuals from tooth extraction. Maggio agreed that MTA “has had a positive impact on any dentist who delivers endodontic services.” But perhaps more than everything else, his peers underscored the importance of Torabinejad’s written contribution to endodontics. “He is,” Maggio wrote, “the most frequently quoted author of endodontic literature.” Dietz backs up Maggio’s assertion with specifics: “His research activities have resulted in authorship of four textbooks, 242 articles in referred national and international dental journals, 88 abstracts, numerous textbook chapters, and a classic endodontic textbook used widely throughout the world.” Pisano adds that, “the textbook he co-authored with Dr. Richard Walton is used in the vast majority of schools of dentistry.” Torabinejad has not gone unrecognized locally, either. In addition to the previously mentioned Loma Linda University Distinguished Investigator Award, which he received in 2013, Torabinejad is also the recipient of the Loma Linda University Centennial Vanguard Award for Healing (2006), and Distinguished Research Award from LLUSD (2008). Given the incredible trajectory of his amazing career, one might assume that Torabinejad would have an ego as monumental as his achievements. But even though he has been an over-achiever since school days, the opposite is true. “In a national entrance examination in 1965, I was accepted into schools of military medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary,” Torabinejad shares. “The main reason I became a dentist was because of my uncle, who was a dentist in Iran. I used to work in his office when I was a kid.” As a devout Muslim, Torabinejad reflects on the importance of working with persons of other ideological perspectives to advance the healing arts. “The basic philosophy of all religions is the same,” he insists. “God chose all the prophets on Earth so people can live in peace and harmony.” Torabinejad, whose career at LLUSD spans four decades, says two factors have contributed to his professional success. “The first is the environment at your home and workplace,” he says. “My wife, Ashi, has provided me a stable life and has been extremely supportive. “The second,” he continues, “is the people you are surrounded with, your family, friends and colleagues. I have been blessed with many great personal and professional friends. The environment that Loma Linda has given me has been ideal for me. Dr. Leif Bakland, my excellent mentor, gave me the opportunity to grow. I have had complete support from our two past Deans, Drs. Judson Klooster and Charlie Goodacre, and our current Dean, Ronald Dailey. Our President, Dr. Richard Hart, provides remarkable leadership. I have lots of respect for that man! I’ve been offered many chairmanships and even deanships at a number of other universities, but the environment at Loma Linda is the reason I have stayed here.” The most cogent insight of all emerges when Torabinejad reveals why he choose the healing arts over other career options. “I became interested in the healing professions when I was 12 years old and my father died of cancer,” he recalls. “That really changed the direction of my life. I realized I needed to do something to help people. He was a young man who died at the age of 32. “My mom raised all five of us boys with limited resources,” he reveals. “I was the oldest and the youngest was only two months old. She was 29 or 30 when my dad died. She had incredible responsibilities resting on her shoulders. She died three years ago. “I always mention her in my private and public conversations and lectures,” he concludes. “She is my hero!”