Showcasing excellence in lecturing and research presentation.
The Emerging Lecturer Awards offer the opportunity to showcase research and lecturing abilities.
The 2026 Awards
On Saturday, 19 September 2026, the following six shortlisted finalists presented their lectures at The Fine Edge of Dentistry Conference in Sydney:
- Dr Liam Cassidy MRACDS(PDS): Free Buccal Fat Pad Graft & MRONJ: A Scoping Review
- Dr Alex Chan FRACDS(GDP): Clear choices, Unclear evidence: Navigating orthodontics in the Next Era
- Dr Mohamed Naqeeb FRACDS(GDP): From Toothache to ICU: When Dental Infections Become Life-Threatening
- Dr Lisa Lim: The Opioid Question: Dental Pain in the Hospital ED
- Dr Philip Chien: Cemental Tears, and Why We Cry Over the Breakdown
- Dr Safa Jamshed: Beyond Teeth: Recognising Airway Red Flags in Everyday General Practice
The 2026 Winners
Congratulations to:
- Dr Alex Chan FRACDS(GDP) – winner of the RACDS Foundation Excellence in Research Award – $2,500
- Dr Mohamed Naqeeb FRACDS(GDP) – winner of the RACDS Outstanding Presentation Award – $2,500
The 2026 Convenors
Dr Zanab Malik
Dr Danyon Graham
The 2026 Judges
Dr Heather Cameron
Dr Erin Mahoney
Dr Patrick Russo
Dr Chris Callahan
About the Emerging Lecturer Awards
The Emerging Lecturer Awards are held every two years in conjunction with the RACDS’s flagship conference, The Fine Edge of Dentistry.
If you have recently begun your lecturing career, or are working on research you would like to present at future conference, you may like to consider applying for the awards in 2028. Applications will open in early 2028.
Who can apply?
- Dental graduates from Australia, New Zealand and Asia
- You must have graduated from your first dental qualification within ten (10) years of the conference (September 2026)
Do applicants need to be a Fellow or Member of the RACDS?
- RACDS Foundation Excellence in Research Award is only open to Members and Fellows of the RACDS
- RACDS Outstanding Presentation Award is open to members and non-members.
Presentation
- Does not need to be original research
- Can be any topic of choice
- If presenting original research, it does not need to have been published
- Presentations to be PowerPoint
The presentations will be judged considering both the style and quality of presentation, and for those topics that are based on original research, the research that has been undertaken.
The RACDS Foundation award is given to a presentation meeting the Foundation’s standards and goals of supporting research and education. The judging panel may decide to award both prizes to the same individual. Prizes are awarded in Australian dollars.
Shortlisted applicants will receive complimentary registration for one day at The Fine Edge of Dentistry conference.
