Dr. Zack Studstill Receives 2022 American Dental Association Distinguished Service Award

CHICAGO, October 14, 2022 — The American Dental Association (ADA) will award Dr. Zack Studstill, M.Ed, D.M.D., with the ADA Distinguished Service Award at ADA SmileCon in Houston, Texas on October 15. The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor given by the ADA Board of Trustees.

“Dr. Zack Studstill is a mentor, an incredible human being and a tremendous dentist,” said ADA President Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S. “I am so pleased to present this year’s Distinguished Service Award to him for a lifetime of hard work and dedication on behalf of dentistry.”

Dr. Studstill practiced dentistry in Montgomery, Ala., for more than 45 years. He is currently serving as executive director of the Alabama Dental Association and has previously served as Alabama Dental Association president, ADA trustee and ADA second vice president.

Under the leadership of Dr. Studstill, the Alabama Dental Association has developed a full, four-year dental school tuition forgivable loan program administered by a state agency, the Board of Dental Scholarships and Loan Awards.

He is currently in development with the University of Alabama School of Dentistry on a rural dental scholar’s pipeline program. Dr. Studstill, Lew Mitchell, D.M.D. and Hiram Johnson, D.M.D., created a seminar on ethics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Dentistry for third- and fourth-year students that has been an annual event at the dental school for the last 20 years.

In addition to a doctor of medicine (D.M.D) degree from the University of Alabama, Dr. Studstill earned a master in education (M.Ed) in counseling from Auburn University. He also received the Most Excellent Fellow Award from the Alabama Dental Association and the prestigious Fuller Award from the UAB School of Dentistry. Dr. Studstill was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame in August of this year.

“It has been a privilege for most of my adult life to have the opportunity to serve dentistry in a number of different, exciting and yes, challenging roles,” stated Dr. Studstill. “Service is not work when you thoroughly enjoy every minute of the journey. For me and for so many others I represent, Service in support of dentistry has been an honor and a privilege.”

Editor’s Note: Reporters are invited to follow the ADA on Twitter @AmerDentalAssn and #SmileCon2022 for updates from SmileCon

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org.