Align Technology Commits $1 Million to AAO Foundation to Support Future Orthodontic Educators
Align Technology, Inc., a global medical device company specializing in digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, has announced a new $1 million commitment to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Foundation over five years. The funding will support the Foundation’s mission to advance orthodontic education, research, and professional development, including its Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign, which aims to strengthen the pipeline of educators responsible for training the next generation of orthodontists.
The latest commitment builds on Align Technology’s previous $1 million pledge made in 2021 and reinforces the company’s ongoing partnership with the AAO Foundation. Through this contribution, Align aims to help support the development of academic faculty who educate dental residents, conduct research, mentor emerging clinicians, and contribute to the continued advancement of orthodontic care.
The AAO Foundation’s Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign is a key initiative supported by the contribution. Launched in 2024 as a three-year effort, the campaign seeks to establish endowment funding for three two-year fellowships for orthodontic faculty members at dental schools in the United States and Canada. The initiative is designed to address the need for qualified full-time orthodontic educators and researchers, helping academic programs maintain the expertise required to prepare future specialists.
Align Technology’s latest commitment reflects its broader efforts to advance oral healthcare, expand access to orthodontic treatment, promote digital dentistry innovation, and invest in the professionals who will shape the future of the specialty.
“The future of orthodontics depends on the people who teach it,” said Brett Schott, vice president and executive director of the AAO Foundation. “Full-time faculty train our residents, lead the research that moves patient care forward, and mentor the leaders our specialty will rely on for decades. Align’s ongoing commitment helps us invest in those educators when the need is real. We are grateful for a partnership that continues to advance the specialty of orthodontics.”
The contribution will help advance the Foundation’s educational and research priorities while reinforcing the importance of academic faculty in sustaining the orthodontic profession. As dental education and clinical practice continue to evolve, investments in teaching, research, and mentorship remain important to ensuring that future orthodontists have access to the knowledge and training needed to deliver high-quality patient care.
Align Technology Expands Its Longstanding Support for Orthodontic Education
Align Technology’s new five-year, $1 million commitment builds on a longstanding relationship with the AAO Foundation. The company has supported the Foundation’s activities through financial contributions and its role as a Platinum Corporate Partner.
The latest pledge continues this relationship and underscores Align’s interest in supporting the academic infrastructure that helps advance orthodontics. While innovation in dental devices and digital treatment systems can introduce new clinical possibilities, the successful adoption of these developments also depends on qualified professionals who can evaluate new technologies, educate students, and translate scientific advances into clinical practice.
Orthodontic faculty members play an important role in this process. They provide instruction to dental residents, supervise clinical training, participate in research, and help establish the professional standards that guide future practitioners. Their work influences not only the education of individual orthodontists but also the development of treatment approaches and the broader direction of the specialty.
However, academic institutions need sufficient resources to attract and retain experienced faculty members. Fellowship funding can help support educators and researchers as they develop their academic careers, contribute to clinical knowledge, and train future specialists.
By directing support toward the AAO Foundation, Align is contributing to an initiative intended to strengthen this educational pipeline. The company’s investment also highlights the relationship between industry participation, professional organizations, and academic institutions in supporting the long-term development of healthcare specialties.
The Foundation’s programs are intended to help ensure that orthodontic education and research remain supported as the profession responds to changing patient needs, scientific discoveries, and advances in dental technology.
Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign Targets Academic Workforce Needs
The AAO Foundation’s Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign is a central component of the initiative supported by Align Technology’s contribution.
Launched in 2024, the campaign is structured as a three-year effort to establish endowments for three two-year fellowships for orthodontic faculty members at dental schools in the United States and Canada. Its primary objective is to strengthen the availability of full-time faculty who can contribute to teaching, research, and mentorship within orthodontic education programs.
The development of future orthodontists depends on a sustained pipeline of educators with the appropriate clinical expertise, academic experience, and research capabilities. Faculty members help residents build the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to assess patients, develop treatment plans, and manage orthodontic care.
In addition to teaching clinical techniques, academic faculty contribute to research that can improve understanding of orthodontic conditions and treatment approaches. Their work can help evaluate new materials, technologies, and clinical methods while supporting the development of evidence that informs professional practice.
Mentorship is another important element of their responsibilities. Faculty members guide residents through the transition from dental education to specialist practice, helping them develop clinical judgment, professional confidence, and an understanding of the responsibilities associated with patient care.
A shortage of full-time academic educators can place pressure on dental education programs and limit their capacity to meet these responsibilities. Fellowship initiatives are designed to help address this challenge by supporting the development of qualified faculty and encouraging sustained engagement in academic careers.
Through its contribution, Align is supporting the AAO Foundation’s effort to build resources for these fellowships. The campaign’s endowment structure is intended to provide support for designated academic positions over time, helping dental schools develop the faculty resources needed to educate future generations of orthodontists.
The initiative also recognizes that investments in educators can have effects beyond individual fellowship recipients. Faculty members teach multiple cohorts of residents, contribute to research activities, and share their expertise across academic and professional networks.
By supporting these roles, the Foundation aims to strengthen the broader educational environment in which orthodontic knowledge and clinical capabilities are developed.
AAO Foundation Reports $17.7 Million in Historical Program Funding
The AAO Foundation has a longstanding record of supporting orthodontic research and academic development through its awards program.
Since 1994, the Foundation’s Awards Program has provided $17.7 million in funding, supporting 297 fellowship awards and 404 research grants. These investments have helped provide resources for educational opportunities and research activities across the specialty.
Fellowships can support the development of professionals pursuing academic careers, while research grants provide funding for investigations that may contribute to improved scientific understanding and clinical practice.
Research is important to the continued advancement of orthodontics because treatment approaches, diagnostic methods, materials, and digital technologies continue to evolve. Scientific investigations can help assess the performance of emerging approaches, examine clinical outcomes, and identify opportunities to refine patient care.
Academic institutions play a significant role in this process by bringing together educators, researchers, residents, and clinical facilities. Their work can generate evidence that supports professional education and informs the decisions clinicians make when selecting treatment approaches.
The AAO Foundation’s financial support for fellowships and research grants is intended to help sustain these activities. Its funding history illustrates the role that dedicated educational and research programs can play in supporting a specialty over several decades.
Align Technology’s contribution will help advance the Foundation’s broader mission, including its efforts to strengthen the academic workforce through the Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign.
The new pledge also reinforces the company’s position as an AAO Foundation Platinum Corporate Partner, reflecting its ongoing engagement with the organization and its educational priorities.
Align Technology Highlights the Importance of Faculty Mentorship
Frank Quinn, executive vice president and managing director for the Americas at Align Technology, emphasized the role that faculty members play in shaping orthodontists’ professional development.
“Most orthodontists can name a faculty member who helped shape them as the clinician they are now. Those educators give so much to this profession, and the AAO Foundation has done remarkable work making sure that impactful legacy continues,” said Quinn.
“We are honored to help advance the future of orthodontics and the doctors who will be part of it. Supporting this fellowship campaign and the AAO Foundation overall is our way of saying thank you to the faculty who train, mentor and inspire every orthodontist.”
Quinn currently serves on the AAO Foundation Board of Directors, providing a direct connection between Align Technology and the organization’s work to advance orthodontic education and research.
His comments underscore the influence faculty members can have on the professional development of orthodontists. Beyond formal instruction, educators can help residents develop the judgment and practical experience needed to manage complex clinical situations and adapt to changes in treatment methods.
Mentorship also helps transmit professional knowledge from one generation of clinicians to the next. Experienced faculty members can share lessons from clinical practice, explain the reasoning behind treatment decisions, and help emerging specialists understand how to apply scientific evidence to individual patient needs.
These relationships can influence how orthodontists approach patient communication, treatment planning, clinical evaluation, and continuing professional development throughout their careers.
Align’s support for the AAO Foundation reflects recognition of these contributions and the importance of maintaining opportunities for qualified professionals to pursue academic careers.
By supporting the fellowship campaign and the Foundation’s wider activities, the company aims to contribute to the people and institutions responsible for educating future orthodontists.
Supporting Education Alongside Digital Orthodontic Innovation
Align Technology develops and markets products used in digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry. Its portfolio includes the Invisalign System of clear aligners, iTero intraoral scanners, and exocad CAD/CAM software.
These technologies support different aspects of digital dental workflows, from capturing oral information to planning orthodontic treatment and developing digital restorative solutions.
The Invisalign System uses clear aligners to support orthodontic treatment, while iTero intraoral scanners enable digital acquisition of dental information. The exocad software portfolio supports computer-aided design and manufacturing workflows used in digital dentistry.
As digital technologies become increasingly integrated into dental practice, education and professional development remain important to their effective use. Clinicians need the knowledge and skills to evaluate digital tools, understand their capabilities and limitations, and determine how they fit into patient-specific treatment plans.
Orthodontic faculty members contribute to this process by preparing residents to work with established clinical methods and emerging technologies. Academic programs can also provide settings in which new approaches are studied, evaluated, and incorporated into educational curricula where appropriate.
For a company focused on digital orthodontic and restorative dentistry, supporting the development of educators represents a complementary investment in the broader professional ecosystem.
Align’s commitment to the AAO Foundation links its commercial focus on dental technology with support for the academic and research activities that help sustain the specialty.
The company has positioned the contribution as part of its continuing effort to advance oral healthcare, expand access to orthodontic treatment, encourage digital innovation, and support the next generation of educators and clinicians.
A Continued Investment in the Future of Orthodontics
Align Technology’s latest $1 million commitment over five years will extend its support for the AAO Foundation following the company’s previous $1 million pledge in 2021.
The funding will contribute to the Foundation’s broader mission, with particular emphasis on the Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign and its goal of establishing three two-year fellowships for orthodontic faculty at dental schools in the United States and Canada.
The initiative comes amid continued attention to the importance of academic educators in training specialists, conducting research, and mentoring emerging clinicians. By supporting fellowship opportunities, the Foundation aims to strengthen the academic workforce and help ensure that orthodontic programs have the resources needed to prepare future practitioners.
The Foundation’s history of providing $17.7 million through 297 fellowship awards and 404 research grants since 1994 demonstrates its longstanding involvement in educational and scientific development within the specialty.
For Align, the new commitment reinforces its partnership with the AAO Foundation and its broader focus on supporting the people who contribute to the future of orthodontic care.
As the profession continues to incorporate digital tools and develop new approaches to treatment, faculty members will remain central to preparing clinicians to apply scientific knowledge and technological advances in practice.
Through this five-year pledge, Align Technology is supporting an effort to strengthen that foundation by investing in educators, researchers, and mentors whose work helps shape the next generation of orthodontists and the future direction of the specialty.
About the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation
The American Association of Orthodontists Foundation is the charitable arm of the American Association of Orthodontists. Its mission is to advance the orthodontic specialty by supporting education and research that leads to excellence in patient care. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the AAO Foundation provides funding for orthodontic research, faculty and resident education, academic fellowships, and charitable initiatives.
About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® System, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 302.0 thousand doctor customers and are key to accessing Align’s 600 million consumer market opportunity worldwide.
Over the past 29 years, Align has helped doctors treat approximately 23.5 million patients with the Invisalign System and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align™ Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.