Azeez Butali, the Gilbert E. Lilly Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, was recognized at the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association’s annual meeting with the Emerging Leader Award.

Azeez Butali is a global leader in cleft lip and palate research and the world’s foremost expert in the genetics of these conditions in African populations. As part of his research mission, he has also spearheaded the formation of a diverse, international network of researchers in Africa and the US to develop, refine, and apply their findings for the benefit of African populations and their genetic descendants. 

Azeez Butali is extending his research on the genetics of orofacial clefts in African populations so that his team improve the reception and acceptance of genetic information found in their studies.

The National Institutes of Health via the University of Kentucky awarded Azeez Butali and Erliang Zeng a grant to identify genome-wide genetic susceptibility variants around the world.

Building on his February 2020 NIH grant, Azeez Butali, professor in the Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine, was awarded a $133,526 supplemental award to identify the mental health challenges among African mothers and their children affected by orofacial clefts.

Each year, second-year dental students select faculty and residents for their work as teachers over the course of the D2 curriculum. This year, they selected Nidhi Handoo and Salah Abuhammoud as faculty of the year, and Derrick Bisnett and Veronica Sule as residents of the year.

On May 11, 2023, the Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine (OPRM) held their annual student award luncheon.This luncheon is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of OPRM students and to recognize their accomplishments.

On May 12, 2022, the Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine (OPRM) held their annual student award luncheon. This luncheon is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of OPRM students and to recognize their accomplishments.

Butali serves as a mentor to numerous other students and researchers, and on May 12, he received a Faculty Award recognizing those efforts. Butali’s students shared their appreciation with the Hawkeye Smile for their mentor.

Second-year dental students Frank Boksa and Mary Young have been awarded NIH Summer Dental Student Research Awards to conduct research at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research in Maryland.