Dr. Steven A. Dugoni Receives the 2026 Earl E. and Wilma S. Shepard Distinguished Service Award from the American Board of Orthodontics

 

Steven A. Dugoni, D.M.D., M.S.D., of Hillsborough, California, St. Louis is the recipient of the 2026 Earl E. and Wilma S. Shepard Distinguished Service Award from the American Board of Orthodontics. This award recognizes an individual for outstanding dedication and advancement of the ideals and mission of the ABO.

Dr. Dugoni is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Graduate Orthodontic Department at the University of the Pacific (UOP), Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, where he has been on the faculty since 1981. He has served as Director of the Mixed Dentition Clinic since 1986 and has been a member of the Graduate Orthodontic Department Executive Committee since 1995.

A specialist in comprehensive early mixed dentition treatment, Dr. Dugoni has lectured at universities and national and international orthodontic meetings throughout his career, including delivering the Jacob Salzmann Memorial Lecture at the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) Annual Session in 2023.

Dr. Dugoni was President of the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO) from 2004 to 2005 and a PCSO delegate to the AAO Annual Session. He is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists, and a member of the World Federation of Orthodontists, the Edward H. Angle Orthodontic Society, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the PCSO (2017), the Medallion of Distinction from the University of the Pacific (2016), and the Award of Excellence for Graduate Orthodontic Teaching from UOP (2022).

Dr. Dugoni was on the ABO Board of Directors from 2009 to 2018 and was elected President of the ABO for the 2016–2017 term. He has been an ABO Examiner since 2009, as a consultant to the ABO Written Examination from 2018 to 2025, and as a consultant to the ABO Certification Renewal Examination beginning in 2025. He has contributed articles to the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics on ABO examination procedures and board certification.

“Serving the American Board of Orthodontics has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career,” Dr. Dugoni said. “I have always believed that board certification represents our profession’s commitment to excellence and lifelong learning. It has been a privilege to contribute to that mission alongside so many dedicated colleagues.”

Dr. Dugoni received his D.M.D. from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1979. He earned his Certificate in Orthodontics and M.S.D. from UOP School of Dentistry in 1981. He holds a B.S. from the University of Santa Clara.