State Dental Association to Honor Dr. Genco

• by New York State Dental Association

ALBANY, NY (10/23/2008)(readMedia)-- Dr. Robert J. Genco, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Oral Biology Department at the School of Dental Medicine and the Microbiology Department at the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, will receive the New York State Dental Association's highest honor, the Jarvie-Burkhart Award, during the New York State Dental Foundation awards luncheon Friday, October 24 at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.

Dr. Genco, a resident of Buffalo, is highly regarded for his landmark research on pathogenesis and management of periodontal diseases. In the past two decades, Dr. Genco has been a leader in identifying the role periodontal disease plays in the development of arteriosclerotic disease. More recently, he has undertaken a series of studies on the effects of oral infections on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Dr. Genco is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in microbiology and immunology.

Dr. Genco was elected to the Institute of Medicine, a component of the National Academy of Sciences, in 1988. He has received several national awards for clinical research from the American Dental Association, and recently was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Research Foundation of SUNY.

The Jarvie-Burkhart Award, established in 1905, is named after former New York State Dental Association leaders and dental pioneers, Drs. William Jarvie and Harvey Burkhart and recognizes outstanding service rendered to mankind through dentistry.

The New York State Dental Association, celebrating 140 years in 2008, is one of the largest state constituents of the American Dental Association and represents more than 13,000 dentists practicing in New York State.

-30-