Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter and Michael Faibish DMD 18
On March 11, 2015, Michael Faibish DMD 18 received word that he had been selected as the recipient of the Summer Dental Student Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an honor given to the top applicants from dental schools across the country. Faibish will be conducting research at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in Bethesda, Maryland from May 26 to July 17.
The NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award gives talented dental students who are interested in research the opportunity to gain hands-on training and exposure to cutting-edge oral health research. The award is designed to give future oral health professionals a preview of a career in oral health research.
Faibish will be conducting research in an area that is new to him, “I will be working on research pertaining to cell motility/migration and interaction with the extracellular matrix,” Faibish said. His direct mentor will be Research Fellow Dr. Ryan Petrie who works under Principal Investigator and Head of the Cell Biology Section Dr. Kenneth Yamada.
“I have never worked in this field of research before,” said Faibish. “But,” he continued, “I think it is important to open your horizons when it comes to research. I have worked in several different labs with different research interests, which has opened my scope of research knowledge. I am excited to have this opportunity to work in this prestigious lab, which is at the cutting-edge of this field.”
Faibish first became interested in research as an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was required to complete a research project in order to be eligible to graduate. He ended up in a cancer laboratory with a mentor who inspired him to pursue research further.
During his time at the NIDCR, Faibish will spend eight weeks conducting research in Dr. Yamada’s laboratory, attend scientific seminars, and, at the end of the internship, he will present a poster of his research findings at the NIDCR Poster Day.
Dean Hutter and Associate Dean for Research Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska plan to visit Faibish in Bethesda during his eight-week research internship.
Dean Hutter said, “Congratulations to Michael on his receiving this prestigious award. I know he will do extremely well and will represent the School in a very positive light.”