Dr. Leslie Will Receives the 2024 O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award from The American Board of Orthodontics
The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) has named Leslie A. Will, D.M.D., M.S.D., of Boston, as the recipient of the 2024 O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award.
The O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award honors an individual who has significantly contributed to orthodontic education and furthered the ideals of the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO). The award is named in honor of Dr. O.B. Vaughan, an ABO past president. The award was presented on May 6 at the ABO awards reception held in conjunction with the American Association of Orthodontists Annual Session in New Orleans, La.
Dr. Will is chair of the Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics and Anthony A. Gianelly Professor of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics at Boston University, a position she has held since 2009.
Prior to joining Boston University, she was professor and graduate program director of the Department of Orthodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine from 2007-2009. She was associate professor and program director of orthodontics at Harvard School of Dental Medicine from 1998-2007. She began her career on the faculty of the former Loyola University Chicago School of Dentistry.
Dr. Will obtained her certification from the American Board of Orthodontics in 1992 and has served as an examiner since 2007.
A member of the American Association of Orthodontists, she was 2008-2009 president of the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists. She also has served as president of the AAO Society of Orthodontic Educators and chaired the AAO Council on Education.
She is a member of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists and is currently Examining Committee chair. She also is a member of the International Association of Dental Research. She previously held leadership positions in the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and the Illinois Association of Craniofacial Teams.
She is an associate editor of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and serves on the editorial boards of Progress in Orthodontics and Seminars in Orthodontics. She is a reviewer for numerous other journals. She has published more than 70 articles, editorials and book chapters.
Dr. Will received her doctorate in dental medicine from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She obtained her master’s degree and certificate in orthodontics from the University of Washington. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Wisconsin. She also completed a fellowship in executive leadership in academic medicine with MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia.
On being chosen for the O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award, Dr. Will said, “It’s an honor to be able to contribute to this important task. In addition, it’s always a learning experience. I consider helping to give the board examination a privilege, so I am amazed for being recognized for this.”