Original story by UW News staff
The UW School of Dentistry’s Associate Dean for Research Dr. Donald Chi was one of five UW researchers to be named an American Association of the Advancement of Sciences Fellow, according to a March 27 announcement. They are among 471 newly elected fellows from around the world, recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements” in science and engineering. A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor. All fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.
Dr. Chi joins Dr. Celeste A. Berg from the School of Medicine, Dr. Sharon Lafferty Doty from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Dr. Matthew R. Parsek from Medicine and Dr. Xiaosong Li from the College of Arts & Sciences.
“In being named an AAAS Fellow, I humbly join a community of scientists committed to making the world a better place,” said Dr. Chi. “What’s clear now more than ever is the continued importance of engaging with the public to answer a question scientists ask one another all the time: So What?
“This includes efforts to share our work more broadly with communities outside the ivory tower, including study participants, patients, family members, neighbors, journalists and policymakers. As an AAAS Fellow, I’m looking forward to working on strategies to enhance science’s engagement with society, regain the public’s trust and maximize the impact of our work.”
UW News writes on Dr. Chi: Donald L. Chi, the Lloyd and Kay Chapman Endowed Chair for Oral Health in the UW School of Dentistry, was recognized for translating knowledge from the behavioral and social sciences to address the causes of children’s oral health inequities. In recent years, Chi has studied why some parents reject fluoride for their children and worked with Yup’ik communities to improve the oral health of Alaska Native children. In 2018, he was named Pediatric Dentist of the Year by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and in 2025 he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Joe Biden. A member of the UW faculty since 2010, Chi is also the associate dean for research in the School of Dentistry and a professor of health systems and population health in the UW School of Public Health. He is editor-in-chief the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry and treats patients at the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Chi has been selected as an AAAS Fellow,” said UW School of Dentistry Dean André Ritter. “This is such a great honor for our school, and for the UW, and well-deserved recognition for the work Dr. Chi is doing to advance oral health for all.”