Dr. Lysle Johnston Jr., who chaired the School of Dentistry‘s Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, directed the graduate orthodontics program from 1991-2004 and who was the Robert W. Browne Professor of Dentistry, has been honored by the Ohio Dental Association for 50 years of contributions to the field of orthodontics.
Johnston recently received the prestigious Callahan Memorial Award during this year’s Callahan Celebration of Excellence in Columbus, Ohio.
The award is one of the profession’s most prestigious and honors the work of John Ross Callahan, a noted Ohio dental researcher and leader in organized dentistry. Established by the association in 1920, committee members consider the achievements and contributions of nominees worldwide before selecting a recipient.
Johnston earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from U-M in 1961 and a Master of Science degree in orthodontics in 1964. He received the School of Dentistry’s Distinguished Service Award during graduation ceremonies in May 2005 for his contributions to U-M, the School of Dentistry and orthodontics.
“He has given so much to dentistry,” says Dr. Joseph Mellion, chair of the Callahan Memorial Award Commission. “He is one of the top orthodontic educators in the world.”
Johnston is the recipient of numerous honors, most notably the Albert H. Ketcham Award from the American Board of Orthodontics, the 5th International Award of the Italian Society of Orthodontists and the Dewel Award of the American Association of Orthodontics.
Johnston said it is a great honor to receive the Callahan Memorial Award, especially because of his strong Ohio ties and close friendships in the state.
“Ohio is really where I got my start,” he says. “I lived 12 years in Ohio and got part of my education there. My children were born there and my son graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I appreciate the significance of the Callahan Award, especially when it goes to someone from the wilds of ‘that state up north.'”
Dr. Sunil Kapila, the current Robert W Browne Professor of Dentistry in Orthodontics and chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, lauds Johnston as “an exceptional intellectual who has continued to challenge his students and the profession.”
“Lysle has always sustained a superior level of excellence as a teacher and scholar, and has set a high standard for future generations of educators,” Kapila says.
For nearly 50 years, Johnston has studied the differential effects of various orthodontic treatments, the mechanisms of facial growth and the nature of the interaction between growth and treatment. Extramural support, both for this research and for the publications that have resulted from it, has been supplied by grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Johnston has written more the 50 papers for peer-reviewed publications, authored or co-authored more than 40 book chapters and has given more than 300 presentations and lectures to various professional organizations on his research worldwide.
While research has shaped Johnston’s career, he is a top educator of orthodontics. He has taught histology, neuroanatomy, orthodontic techniques, statistics, cephalometrics, facial growth, occlusal development and orthodontic history. During his academic career, Johnston has advised on approximately 100 master’s theses and has contributed to the education of approximately 500 orthodontic specialists.
Although officially retired since 2004, and nearly 72 years old, Johnston shows no signs of slowing down. He now teaches part-time in the three departments he once chaired at Case Western Reserve, Saint Louis University and at U-M, and continues to lecture around the world, this year in China, Japan and Canada.
