FACILITATING GLOBAL COLLABORATION: IOF PRESENTS NEW ASPIRATIONS FOR ORTHODONTIC BREAKTHROUGH

In October, the Forsyth Institute conducted its first global orthodontics-focused innovation forum named the Forsyth Orthodontic Symposium: in memorial of Dr. Moorrees. The International Orthodontic Foundation (IOF) was proudly the major sponsor of this event. The Forsyth Orthodontic Symposium gathered global academic, industry, and investment leaders in the same room to promote interaction and accelerate innovation. Mr. Dai Feng and Mr. Donald Huang, the co-chairman of the board of IOF, along with IOF’s founding committee members, introduced the organization to the world and shared their insights on the future of orthodontics.As a newly emerging foundation, the IOF aims to promote innovative research, offering advanced field practices while preparing clinical professionals through education, research, and communication. Just as Donald Huang highlighted in his speech, IOF strives to “help [all] clinicians with their life-long development of professional skills in orthodontics, regardless of where you are from.”LETTING THE IOF’S MISSION AND VISION BE HEARD ALL OVER THE WORLD The Forsyth Orthodontic Symposium created a platform that allowed both academics and industry experts an opportunity for in-depth discussion while bridging differences, which was deeply valued by all attendees. In fact, the IOF’s vision of improving orthodontic developments is through collaboration, innovation, and exchange, which well aligns with the symposium’s mission. Founded by a group of like-minded and leading orthodontic experts in North America, Europe, and Asia, IOF has been constantly seeking new ways to enable orthodontic clinicians. Dr. Ravindra Nanda, adjunct professor of the Forsyth Institute and co-founding committee member of the IOF, highlighted that the IOF was founded as a passion project to establish “an independent non-profit organization [that will] give back to the orthodontic community by promoting access to education, supporting innovation, and providing research grants.” In addition, Donald Huang emphasized that the IOF strives to “provide [clinicians] with an international stage so that more people in the world can benefit from [their] ideas.” Donald Huang elaborates on IOF’s objectives by identifying four under-funded areas crucial to the optimization of orthodontics, namely: international collaboration, support for translational research, promotion of innovative technologies, and independence from endorsing commercial products. Regarding Education, the IOF’s primary aim is to provide access to world-renowned educational resources through various carefully developed courses, online materials, and events. To promote research, IOF’s goal is to support orthodontic clinicians and researchers to realize their dreams through research grants. For communication, the IOF is devoted to facilitating the link between academia and industry, along with enhanced collaboration among regions. All in all, the IOF’s initiatives, particularly those mentioned in the Co-Chairman’s speech, were well received by those present, spreading the IOF’s mission across the international orthodontic community. PRACTICING WHAT IOF PREACHES: IOF RESEARCH GRANTS Apart from training and education, the IOF is committed to funding world-class research through its own Research Grant Program, a global scientific research fund that promotes emerging and technological innovation and progress in orthodontics.The program consists of significant importance and implications for the future of orthodontics, namely: Allowing international collaboration without geographic boundariesFocusing on translational research Providing funding for research grants which are in short supply