A former graduate of the University of Malta, George Zarb has been awarded the Order of Canada, which recognises Canadians for their national and international achievements. On Canada Day, celebrated on July 1, the Governor General's office announces the recipients of the award - men and women who have distinguished themselves in their area of endeavour.

Prof. Zarb, originally of Valletta, is regarded as one of the most respected international clinical scholars in prosthodontics - the specialty of implant, aesthetic and reconstructive dentistry including field cosmetic dentistry, implants and joint problems.

He left for the US in 1960 as a recipient of a Fulbright scholarship and pursued graduate and clinical specialty studies at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. He was invited to join the full-time staff of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto in 1966 and rose through the academic ranks to full professor in less than a decade.

Throughout his 39-year career at the University of Toronto, he served as professor and department head in his discipline and as associate dean for clinical sciences.

Prof. Zarb has lectured nationally and internationally and has written over 150 papers on the different aspects of his eclectic discipline. He has finished co-authoring his 14th textbook and has been a visiting professor in numerous universities around the world.

Prof. Zarb is the recipient of a number of honours, including five honorary doctorates from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Dalhousie University, Canada; the University of Malta; the University of Turin, Italy; and the University of Montreal, Canada.

A list of the awards he received include honorary fellowships from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland as well as the Goldhaber Science Award from Harvard University.

He is the only recipient of all three awards from the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics for Teaching, Research and Professional Service. Earlier this year, he received the Golden Medal from the American Prosthodontic Society.

Throughout his career, Prof. Zarb has been a frequent visitor and lecturer at the University of Malta. His long list of graduate students includes Nikolai Attard, who undertook his clinical speciality training in prosthodontics and his PhD studies with Prof. Zarb in Toronto, and is currently the assistant dean of dentistry at the University of Malta.