Dr. T.M. Graber, Dr. Birgit Thilander receive honorary fellowship in the WFO

On Sunday, April 30 during the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) General Assembly, the WFO formally recognized two individuals with honorary fellowship in the organization. This special distinction was granted to Dr. Birgit Thilander of Göteborg, Sweden, and Dr. T.M. Graber of Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The WFO bestows honorary fellowship upon those individuals who are known throughout the world as having contributed significantly to the art and science of orthodontics. Nominations for this honorary designation are submitted to the WFO Executive Committee, which then forwards its recommendations to the WFO Council. The WFO Council makes the final determination as to who shall receive an honorary fellowship. In 1995, the WFO granted honorary fellowship to Dr. Arne Bjork, Dr. B.F. Dewel and Dr. Fujio Miura.

Dr. Birgit Thilander is professor emeritus in orthodontics at the University of Göteborg in Sweden. After finishing the postgraduate orthodontic program at the Royal School of Dentistry in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1961, she moved to Umeå, Sweden, where she was an associate professor for the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Umeå. At the time, she and her colleagues at the university were the only orthodontists in the northern part of Sweden. In 1963, she became acting professor and chair of this department. In 1969, she moved on to the University of Göteborg, where she served as professor and chair of the Department of Orthodontics until 1991. She was also a visiting professor for the Department of Orthodontics at the National University of Colombia in Bogota, Colombia, from 1993 to 1999.

She has written three textbooks and served as the editor of the textbook Introduction to Orthodontics. She has also written 180 articles for various international journals and has produced 10 chapters for several books. Her research focus is on craniofacial growth and development, functional aspects, orthodontic tooth movement in periodontal therapy, tooth transplantation and implants.

"To be an honorary member of the World Federation of Orthodontists has, of course, shed golden luster upon me and also upon all the students who have followed my research profile and have become well-known orthodontists themselves," Dr. Thilander said. "I am deeply touched but also very happy and very proud about this special honor."

She supports the WFO's goals to enhance the specialty on a global basis.

"I hope that the WFO will improve the quality of clinical orthodontics by designing a three-year program for students in orthodontic training," Dr. Thilander said. "This program has to be universal to avoid differences between different parts of the world. Furthermore, I want to see more time for research, basic as well as clinical. In the future, the teamwork with other specialties has to be stressed in order to widen our orthodontic horizon."

Dr. T.M. Graber has served as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO/DO) for the past 15 years. During his tenure as editor-in-chief and his five years as the abstracts and reviews editor, Dr. Graber reinvented the journal so that it is now the flagship publication for the specialty.

As of June 1, he will turn over the editor-in-chief position to Dr. David Turpin of Auburn, Washington, USA. Due to Dr. Graber's tremendous contributions, the American Association of Orthodontists Board of Trustees has designated Dr. Graber as editor emeritus of the AJO/DO for life. The May issue of the AJO/DO has been produced in honor of Dr. Graber.

In addition to his responsibilities for the AJO/DO, Dr. Graber has worked in academic, clinical and laboratory settings throughout his career. Dr. Graber founded and ran the graduate Orthodontics Department at the University of Chicago. Today, he is a clinical professor of orthodontics at the University of Illinois - Chicago and the director of the Kenilworth Dental Research Foundation, which he founded in 1964. He has written 19 books, 18 book chapters, more than 160 scientific articles in refereed journals, and 850 book and journal article reviews and abstracts.

"Honorary membership in the WFO means a great deal to me," he said. "We are truly one world of orthodontics now - so being part of a world-class organization like this means a lot by itself. But when one becomes an honorary member, it is truly special. I am joining people like my dear friends Tod Dewel, Fujio Miura and Birgit Thilander. The WFO is truly the wave of the future, as orthodontists from all over the world share and communicate with each other. We all learn. I am proud that the AAO initiated the formation of this organization, recognizing the importance of sharing with our professional colleagues around the world. I hope to remain active in fostering the aims of the WFO and its relationship with the AAO in the years ahead."