FDA Network of Experts provides rapid access to experts that supplement existing FDA knowledge
The ADA Forsyth Institute, a global leader in oral health research and innovation and the research arm of the American Dental Association (ADA), has renewed an agreement through 2030 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to serve among the FDA Network of Experts as a primary source of expert opinions on oral health products.
The FDA Network of Experts is a vetted network of partner organizations and their member scientists, clinicians, and engineers. This network provides rapid access to supplement the FDA’s existing knowledge within the Center of Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
Employees of the FDA turn to the Network of Experts Program to request external expertise on an ad-hoc basis.
“As the home to influential oral health research, ADA Forsyth is always available to the FDA to provide informed advice on new products,” said ADA Forsyth CEO Wenyuan Shi, Ph.D., who will serve as lead collaborator on behalf of the ADA. “We have enjoyed positive contacts with the FDA over the years, which is paramount to developing effective innovations that improve patient care.”
A renowned microbiology researcher, Dr. Shi has led many multidisciplinary and translational research projects focused on oral microbial infections. He has served as ADA Forsyth’s CEO since 2017, leading a faculty that includes eminent researchers in microbiology, inflammation and immunology, craniofacial biology, and bioengineering. For over 20 years, he served as Chairman and Professor of Oral Biology at UCLA Schools of Dentistry and Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA School of Medicine.
The ADA supports the future of dentistry through research initiatives that lead to stronger clinical decision making and informed policy making. ADA Forsyth’s integration with the ADA in 2023 expanded both organizations’ capability for shaping the future of oral health. The two organizations work together to turn today’s breakthroughs into tomorrow’s patient care.
“Making connections between basic research, technology development, and industry is an important component of our partnership with ADA Forsyth,” said Norman Kwong, Senior Vice President of Innovation, Business, and Product Development at the ADA. “Between ADA Forsyth’s world-class researchers and the ADA’s position in the industry, we provide the best-connected and most-qualified experts on dental care and oral health research.”
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About the ADA Forsyth Institute
The ADA Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children (later, the Forsyth Institute), to provide dental care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. While continuing to serve children in need, yet recognizing the ultimate goal is to prevent dental disease, the Institute in 1915 began to focus on scientific research and is today the world’s leader in oral health research. In October of 2023, the Institute joined with the American Dental Association to form the ADA Forsyth Institute, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach. Consistent with the Institute’s founding mission, the ADA ForsythKids mobile dental program continues to serve children in need.
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.
