Dr. Athena Papas and her family have created a new fund to sustain and grow research at the dental school.
The Papas Family Extends Dental Research
Art Papas has always been proud of his mother's work. When she was preparing to submit the first major grant proposal of her career, she asked Art, then around 10 years old, to help her with the printing, collating, and stapling. "It was such a big deal for her at the time," he remembers. "She was nervous, but so passionate about it and confident in her research proposal. When she was awarded the grant, it was a big moment for all of us."
In the decades that followed, Dr. Athena Papas's career flourished at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where she is now the Dr. Erling Johansen, D49, Endowed Professor in Dental Research. Her work explores how oral health connects to the body's broader systems: periodontal disease and cardiovascular health, tooth loss and bone density, and autoimmune disorders like Sjögren's disease. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in oral biology at MIT and one of the first women to graduate from Harvard's dental program; her clinical trials have brought new treatments to patients and established Tufts as a leader in the study of Sjögren's disease.
"My dad used to say, if you love your work, you don't work a day in your life,” says Dr. Papas. “My husband and I both love our work. I think our children have picked up on that as well."
"Our hope is that this fund will enable the next generation of researchers to follow in her footsteps."
A Different Kind of Gift
Instead of gifts to celebrate her 80th birthday this year, Dr. Papas asked her family for something different: support for the steady, hopeful work of discovery. The Athena S. Papas, D.M.D., Ph.D., J67, Dental Research Fund will provide resources for new and ongoing research, including materials, technology, and faculty support. The fund is a family endeavor, with contributions from Dr. Papas herself, her husband Arthur, and their children Art, Ilia, and Caroline, all Tufts graduates. Art's wife, Nicole Papas, joined them in launching the fund.
"Our hope is that this fund will enable the next generation of researchers to follow in her footsteps," Art says.
Ilia Papas has seen his mother's influence extend well beyond the Tufts campus. Graduates of the dental school he has met over the years still speak of her warmly; patients with Sjögren's disease have told him how grateful they are for her team's work on the disease's worst symptoms. "The thought of this gift continuing to help students and advance dental research," he says, "feels like a meaningful way to honor her time and career at Tufts, especially at a time when funding is not as available as it has been in past years."
The Work Ahead
Dr. Papas, whose own research is still growing, hopes one outcome of the fund will be enabling Tufts to remain a leader in the study of autoimmune disorders like Sjögren’s disease through the work and insights of future Tufts faculty.
