The Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Award for innovation and translation is presented by The American Ceramic Society’s Bioceramics Division. The award honors a deserving individual(s) in recognition of lifetime dedication, vision, and accomplishments in advancing the field of Bioceramics, particularly towards innovation in the field and contribution of that innovation to translation of technology towards clinical use. Professor Larry Hench was a true pioneer of innovation in ceramic and glass materials, and is particularly known for his invention of Bioglass, the first synthetic biomaterial discovered to form a bond with bone.
The inaugural 2020 award is presented to Dr. Carolyn M. Primus, Primus Consulting. For the past 23 years, Dr. Primus has been inventing and developing bioactive bioceramic dental cements to improve pediatric, endodontic and general dentistry, leading to six patents and one pending. Such materials help with tooth healing and to avoid tooth extraction. Well known products are: White ProRoot MTA, NeoMTA, NeoPUTTY, NeoSEALER Flo, Ceramco Silver & Finesse porcelains. As a recipient of SBIR awards from NIH NIDCR, she founded Avalon Biomed Inc. to manufacture hydraulic bioactive dental products. Avalon Biomed achieved ISO 13485 & EU/MDD certifications to enable distribution of affordable bioactive dental cements world-wide.
Dr. Primus currently serves as chair/convenor of ADA and ISO committees on endodontic materials and as Adjunct Professor at August University School of Dentistry, Augusta, GA and Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX. She has dedicated thirty years to dental materials research and development, including 13 patented inventions in fixed prosthodontics, orthodontics and especially endodontics & pediatric dentistry, and 3 other non-dental patents. Dr. Primus has co-authored 27 dental publications, six dental materials chapters, plus others on materials science including editing phase diagrams.
The award is presented annually at ACerS Annual Meeting/MS&T; however, this year will be presented during the MS&T Virtual Meeting November 2 – 6, 2020 in conjunction with the Bioceramics Division’s Next Generation Biomaterials symposium.