Announcing the President’s Award Winner: Dr. Ken M. Hargreaves

Every year, the AAE’s esteemed President’s Award celebrates an outstanding member whose efforts to promote and advance the Association go above and beyond.

It is incredibly important to me and the thousands of members I serve that we recognize this member. I could not be more pleased to present this award to a person who is a rock star on and off the endodontic stage. And whose passion for the specialty, those within it and future generations is inspirational.

This year’s winner is a prolific researcher whose focus areas pain management and regenerative endodontics—are changing the way endodontists treat patients and introducing cutting-edge treatments that not too long ago were not even possible.

In recent days he and his team have produced a paper about diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 emergency patients that we at the AAE are using in conjunction with CDC recommendations. The article is highlighted in the April issue of the Communiqué and is available at aae.org/covid.

Like a rock legend, this member could sell out stadiums with his much sought-after lecturers and lessons. He is a dedicated educator and has served as chair of the Department of Endodontics at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for more than 20 years, molding UTHSC San Antonio into a leading endodontic and research institution.

Throughout his distinguished career, this recipient has edited five textbooks, contributed to 33 textbook chapters and published nearly 400 papers, abstracts, reviews and editorials. With more than 13,000 citations of his papers in Scopus, he is one of the most prolific and influential authors and researchers in the history of endodontics. His research has received funding of more than $95 million from sources that include the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Endodontics and the Department of Defense.

His research on pain management not only is changing the way we manage our patients’ pre- and post-treatment pain but also influencing pain management in other areas of medicine. As a result, clinicians are able to rely less on opioids, a step-in addressing overprescribing and addiction.

He is an accomplished professor who instills in his residents the same commitment to clinical, scientific and research excellence that he expects from himself.

He’s completed Ironman Triathlon races and he is also a loving husband and father of two grown children pursuing medical careers. He is regarded highly by all who know him, and I am proud to call him my friend.

I’m ecstatic to announce that this year’s President’s Award recipient is Dr. Kenneth M. Hargreaves.

Ken’s research and contributions extend beyond endodontics and dentistry to the larger medical community. His academic influence is evident in the accomplishments of his students and will be realized for generations to come! Let’s all extend him a loud round of virtual applause and as the fans say at the end of a show: “Encore!”