Professor Stephen Challacombe
Martin Rushton Professor of Oral Medicine, King's College London
Speaker's biography
Professor Challacombe is past President of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), of the RSM Odontology section and current president of the RSM History of Medicine Society. He has had a long professional interest in mucosal immunity, both in basic research of the mechanics of the mucosal immune system and in the role of mucosal immunity in oral mucosal diseases. This has included oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS and from 2000-2017 he was Chairman of the International steering committee on Oral Health & Disease in HIV infection. He has had a particular interest in the role of saliva in protection and diagnosis of oral diseases including Sjogrens syndrome, candida infections, dental caries and oral bullous diseases. He has been an author or co-author of over 240 peer-reviewed research papers and 160 other publications on Mucosal immunity; Immunological, dermatological and micro-biological aspects of oral diseases; HIV infection, Oral Tolerance. Editor or co-editor of 10 books on Food Allergy & Intolerance, Practical aspects of ELISA, Oral Aids Research, Oral Medicine and Immunology of oral diseases. Early in his academic career he was an Assistant Professor & Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, USA (1978-1979) and recently was recognised as the Mayo alumnus of the year. His career includes serving as Dean for International Affairs, KCL Health Schools (2007-2012), as President of British Society for Oral Medicine, President of European Association of Oral Medicine, and British
Society of Dental Research. He has received a number of awards for his research and recently received the Samuel Charles Miller award from the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Immunological studies of saliva have remained central to his research interests.
