Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez Receives 2026 AAP Oral Health Service Award
National honor recognizes UCLA Pediatric Dentistry chair’s commitment to improving children’s oral health and advancing health equity
Francisco Ramos-Gomez, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., professor and chair of the Section of Pediatric Dentistry at the UCLA School of Dentistry, received the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Oral Health’s 2026 Oral Health Service Award on Saturday, Oct. 3, during the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in San Diego.
Ramos-Gomez was among the pediatric health professionals and trainees recognized at the AAP Congress in 2026 for their contributions to advocacy, clinical practice, and research that improve children’s health and well-being.
The Oral Health Service Award honors individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to improving children’s oral health through their work with the AAP. Internationally recognized for his leadership in children’s oral health, Ramos-Gomez has dedicated more than four decades to preventing early childhood caries, reducing oral health disparities and improving access to care, particularly for underserved communities.
His work has focused on early childhood caries prevention, community-based participatory research, medical-dental integration, and culturally responsive approaches that bring communities and health professionals together.
“This recognition from my pediatrician colleagues is especially meaningful to me,” Ramos-Gomez said during the award presentation. “Through your leadership, you have helped make oral health an essential part of children’s overall health and well-being."
Among his many contributions, Ramos-Gomez co-founded the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research-funded Center to Address Disparities in Oral Health (CAN-DO), advanced medical-dental integration and developed community-based prevention models that address the needs of diverse populations.
In 2025, under his leadership, UCLA Pediatric Dentistry secured its fourth consecutive five-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, supporting advanced pediatric dental training and expanding access to care for underserved communities.
Through this initiative, he collaborates with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Executive Master of Public Health program and three other UCLA professional schools – David Geffen School of Medicine (Pediatrics), School of Nursing, and Anderson School of Management – to advance interdisciplinary collaboration, oral health policy advocacy, and sustainable solutions to improve children’s health at the national, state, and local levels.
“There is no overall health without oral health. There is no healthy mouth without a healthy child. And the child before us is the same child—our shared responsibility, our shared privilege and our shared hope for the future,” Ramos-Gomez added.
