University at Buffalo (UB)
Release Date: March 23, 1995 This content is archived.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Robert J. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of periodontics and oral biology at the University at Buffalo, has received the 1995 Isadore Hirschfeld Memorial Award and Certificate from the Northeastern Society of Periodontists (NESP).
The Hirschfeld award is the highest granted by NESP and acknowledges distinguished work in education, research and significant contributions to periodontology.
Periodontal, or gum, disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. Other forms of the disease may be found in children and adolescents.
The award recognizes Genco's more than 20 years of ground-breaking research into the causes, prevention and treatment of oral diseases. This includes his role in identifying the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis as a significant contributor towards periodontal disease, and his research into the use of antibodies in preventive medicine.
Recently, Genco and his colleagues at UB have identified several risk factors for periodontal disease, including smoking, P. gingivalis, B. forsythus and stress.
A member of the faculty of the UB School of Dental Medicine since 1974, Genco also is the director of the Buffalo Periodontal Disease Research Center, one of five national centers designed to evaluate clinical advances in periodontology.
He received the Academy of Periodontology's Gold Medal in 1993, and the American Dental Association's Medal for Excellence in Dental Research in 1991.
He served as president in 1985 of the American Association for Dental Research -- the nation's largest organization of dental research with approximately 3,500 members -- and in 1991 was president of the International Association of Dental Research.
He has published more than 240 articles describing his research, and has edited several scientific books. He is editor of the Journal of Periodontology.
A Buffalo resident, Genco received his dental degree cum laude from UB and his doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University at Pennsylvania.