Dr. Purnima Kumar Receives Award from International Periodontology Group

Ann Arbor, Mich., April 13, 2026 – School of Dentistry faculty member Dr. Purnima Kumar received the International Eminence in Perio Award from the European Federation of Periodontology at its annual General Assembly in Athens, Greece, in March.
 
Dr. Kumar, the William and Mary K. Najjar Endowed professor of Dentistry and Chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, was recognized for “outstanding service to the EFP and contributions to the understanding of the field of periodontology and the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases.” Recipients of the award must make contributions in more than one area of the field over a substantial number of years.

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Kumar has authored more than 100 papers and book chapters and serves as the associate editor of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Periodontology 2000, and lead editor of Microbiome. She is an active clinician, teacher, researcher and administrator; mentors pre-dental, dental, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students and junior faculty colleagues; and has served on several grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement for the Sciences, Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, the International College of Dentists, the American College of Dentists and the Pierre Fouchard Academy.
 
Kumar is the Principal Investigator of Oral Microbial Ecology Laboratory at the University of Michigan that is funded through the NIH, the National Cancer Institute, and oral healthcare industry.  She serves on the budget committee and science strategy committee of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP). She completed her term as chair of AAP’s Continuing Education Oversight Committee and as chair of the Council of Scientific Affairs of the American Dental Association (ADA) in 2024. She is quoted regularly by national media outlets in her role as an ADA spokesperson on e-cigarettes and vaping.
 
Kumar has served on various committees of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and is presently the Past-President of its Periodontal Research Group.  She is a member of the board of directors of the Osteology Foundation and the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. She also serves on several taskforces for women in science, women in surgery and women in STEM, and volunteers for groups that empower women locally and nationally.
 
The EFP, founded in 1991, is a global non-profit organization with a European core that promotes periodontal science and practice, and awareness of oral health and gum disease.  Its 47 national societies represent more than 18,000 oral health professionals and researchers around the world. Its focus on periodontal science and clinical guidelines emphasize that periodontal health is a vital part of general wellbeing. With offices in Madrid, Spain, the federation pursues its mission by organizing evidence-based scientific events and public health campaigns. The EFP also investigates the socio-economic impact of periodontitis to guide strategies for tackling oral health inequalities.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral healthcare education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Email: [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.