Prichard Award

Call for 2026 John F. Prichard Graduate Research Competition Submissions

We are excited to accept submissions for the 2025-2026 John F. Prichard Graduate Research Competition. This program was named in honor of Dr. John F. Prichard, with the aim to reward outstanding contributions made by graduate students or recent graduate students in the field of periodontology. The competition will be held in February 2026, during the SWSP Winter Meeting in Dallas, Texas.

The 2026 SWSP meeting will start on Friday, February 6, 2026, beginning at 8:00 AM. The Prichard Graduate Research Competition will be held on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.Interested individuals should review the program guidelines and submit their abstracts prior to November 14, 2025.

The 2025-2026 competition will use the Orban Scoring which is used by the American Academy of Periodontology in the Balint Orban Memorial Competition. Please review the abstract scorecard prior to your abstract submission.

Students who submit an abstract are required to be a member of the Society. For those who need to join the Society you may submit your membership application on-line at http://www.swsp.org/how-to-join.

Abstract Submission Form

2025 Prichard Award Winners

The 2025 John F. Prichard Graduate Research Competition, held at the Southwest Society of Periodontists (SWSP) Business Meeting in Dallas, continued its tradition of celebrating excellence in periodontal research. Out of twelve abstracts submitted from institutions including UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, Air Force Postgraduate Dental School, Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry, five were selected for oral presentation by a panel of eight judges comprising residency program and clinical experts.

The competition culminated on February 1, 2025, with Dr. Mary Younan, a second-year resident at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, being awarded first place for her research titled "Applying Convolutional Neural Networks for Radiographic Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendation of Furcation and Intrabony Periodontal Defects." Reflecting on her achievement, Dr. Younan remarked that the recognition “reflects the guidance, support, and inspiration I’ve received along the way.”

The other finalists and their research topics were:

Dr. Joelle Foster, UT Health San Antonio: "Healing following tooth extraction and ridge preservation using DFDBA alone in particulate or fiber form, and in combination with xenograft: A 4-arm randomized controlled trial."

Dr. Jaret Simonsen, UT Health San Antonio: "Radiographic changes in the maxillary sinus following closed sinus augmentation."

Dr. Daniel Ryan, Texas A&M School of Dentistry: "The use of a non-incised minimally invasive flap procedure in conjunction with Emdogain MI compared to traditional scaling and root planing."

Dr. Silie Arboleda, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry: "The Impact of Race and Ethnicity on Resolution of Inflammation in Periodontitis."

Congratulations to Dr. Younan and all the finalists for their exceptional contributions to periodontal research. Special thanks to the judges for their time and dedication to supporting the next generation of periodontists.

Dr. Mary Younan Prichard Competition Winner	University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston	February 1, 2025
Dr. Joelle Foster Prichard Competition Second Place Winner	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	February 1, 2025

2024 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Kaleb Esplin Prichard Competition Winner	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 26, 2024
Dr. Aziz Saqr Prichard Competition Second Place Winner	University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston	January 26, 2024

2023 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Panos Afouxenides Prichard Competition Winner Clinical Sciences Category	Texas A&M College of Dentistry	January 27, 2023
Dr. Brandon Breard Prichard Competition Winner Basic Sciences Category	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 27, 2023

2022 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Sarah Kelly Prichard Competition Winner Clinical Sciences Category	Texas A&M College of Dentistry	January 29, 2022
Dr. Thomas Nguyen Prichard Competition Winner Basic Sciences Category	University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston	January 29, 2022

2021 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Michael Vieth Prichard Competition Winner Clinical Sciences Category	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 22, 2021
Dr. Ryushiro Sugita Prichard Competition Winner Basic Sciences Category	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 22, 2021

2020 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Arwa Al Hugail Prichard Competition Winner Clinical Sciences Category	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 24, 2020
Dr. Matthew Saxon Prichard Competition Winner Basic Sciences Category	Texas A&M University College of Dentistry	January 24, 2020

2019 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Jeffrey Penner, DDS Prichard Competition Winner Clinical Sciences Category	The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 26, 2019
Dr. Seung Lee, Capt, USAF, DC Prichard Competition Winner Basic Sciences Category	The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and US Air Force Periodontics	January 26, 2019

2018 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Debbie Lee Prichard Competition Winner	The United States Air Force Periodontics	January 28, 2018
Dr. Phillip Garrett Runner-Up	The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 28, 2018

2017 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Blaine Calahan Clinical Sciences Research Category	The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	January 27, 2017
Dr. Haroon Ashraf Basic Sciences Research Category	University of Colorado Denver	January 27, 2017

2016 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. John W. Thousand IV Clinical Sciences Research Category	University of Colorado	January 30, 2016
Dr. Erin Wyrick Basic Sciences Research Category	JBSA - Lackland	January 30, 2016

2015 Prichard Award Winners

Dr. Tyler D. Borg Clinical Sciences Research Category	The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	February 7, 2015
Dr. Eirleen Y. Hyun Basic Sciences Research Category	UTHSCSA and U.S. Air Force Postgraduate Dental School	February 7, 2015