Research at the School of Dentistry | A message from the Dean
On March 1, the School of Dentistry’s Office of Research and Discovery and Continuing Dental Education hosted the 20th Annual Research Day. Approximately 321 attendees from our school, university, and nation came together to discuss current research undertakings in oral cancer, and showcased progress made at the School of Dentistry and beyond.
Rena Nayantara D’Souza, DDS, MS, PhD, Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health, provided the welcome address, noting the distinct intersection of research in clinical settings and the shared value of research in dental education. Keynote speaker David Wong, DDS, PhD, Felix and Mildred Yip Endowed Chair in Dentistry, director of the UCLA Center for Oral/Head and Neck Research and professor in the Section of Biosystems and Function, shared his research on the use of saliva diagnostics for oral cancer. These speakers set the stage for the attendees to hear from 26 of our own learners engaged in research at the school, along with their faculty mentors; 11 posters by DDS students, 8 posters by Oral Biology MS and PhD students, and 3 posters from masters, postdocs and residents.
Additionally, we heard from our faculty engaging in oral health cancer research and patient care: Rajaram Gopalakrishnan, BDS, PhD, provided insight into the role of oral cancer for Fanconi Anemia patients; Chong Wang, PhD shared his research on epigenetic mapping targets for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and Heather Conrad, DMD, MS, FACP, FRCD(C), shared her research on how maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation can impact the quality of life of patients with oral cancer.
The knowledge these individuals shared with us is inspiring, and it’s the fruit of dedicated research pursued throughout the years. It is with faculty, learners and partners, that we, as oral health professionals, are able to continue to dedicate ourselves to research to uncover and gain new knowledge to positively impact the oral health of not only our patients, but all patients.