Donald L. Chi, professor of Health Systems and Population Health and the Lloyd and Kay Chapman Endowed Chair for Oral Health in the UW School of Dentistry, has been named a 2025 Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Chi 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. He is editor-in-chief the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry and treats patients at the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle.
The Fellows are a distinguished cadre recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching and technology to administration in academia, industry and government to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.
“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering.”