CHICAGO, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Klaus, President and CEO of Chicago-based Oral Health America, is the recipient of an Outstanding Public Advocacy Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR).
"Robert Klaus's contributions on behalf of oral health have made a difference for individuals throughout the country," said Peter Anas, Executive Director, NIDCR. "He has approached oral health from multiple angles, from tobacco control, to issues affecting children, seniors, and people with disabilities, to dental education, and oral health's impact on overall health."
Since 1988, Klaus has been a stalwart advocate for Americans unable to access routine dental care. His many accomplishments include:
-- Launching, with Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Oral
Health 2000 Initiative, the then-largest public education program on
oral health.
-- Launching, with Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players
Association, and Hall of Fame Broadcaster Joe Garagiola, the National
Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP).
-- Supporting the creation of Special Olympics Special Smiles.
-- Launching the Campaign for Oral Health Parity, reaching over 50
percent of American households with oral health messages to support
the Surgeon General's landmark Oral Health in America.
-- Launching Smiles Across America, the only national program helping
communities build infrastructure for school oral health services, now
reaching eight regions of the country.
-- Launching the National Periodontal Disease Coalition to promote the
early detection and treatment of this common disease.
"I am honored to be acknowledged for the work that many former FNIDCR award recipients have helped to make possible," said Dr. Klaus.
The FNIDCR, a non-profit organization established in 1998, is a coalition of individuals, institutions, and corporations who understand the importance of oral and craniofacial health to the well-being of society. In addition to Dr. Klaus, this year's awardees at the FNIDCR gala on December 10 were Alice DeForest, Executive Director, American Academy of Periodontology; The National Museum of Dentistry; Heather Pizzo and Jennifer Eiben from the Susan Byrnes Health Education Center, York, PA; Gary Price, CEO, Dental Trade Alliance; Scientific American; Judy Sherman, Senior Congressional Lobbyist, ADA Governmental Affairs; and Washington Post reporters Jo-Ann Armao, Mary Otto, and January W. Payne. For more information, visit http://www.fnidcr.org/.
Oral Health America is the nation's premier, independent advocacy organization dedicated to improving oral health for all Americans. Find out more at http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/.
Oral Health America
