Dr. Janket (5th from left in front row) with other workshop attendees
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Research Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Sok-Ja Janket attended the inaugural Genetic Epidemiology and Functional Genomics workshop at the Boston University Medical Campus from July 5 through 8.
This event was hosted by the Framingham Heart Study, the Center for Translational Epidemiology and Comparative Effectiveness Research, and the Section of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine.
At the workshop, Dr. Janket was the only dentist among MDs and PhDs, which is not an unusual occurrence for her. When Dr. Janket studied for her Master of Public Health degree at Harvard School of Public Health, she was the only dentist among 105 MDs. This, combined with her 20 years as a clinician prior to becoming a dental researcher, gave Dr. Janket a unique perspective on the workshop and opportunity to link general health with oral health.
“Although I am not a laboratory scientist, I enjoyed learning about gene translocation,” Dr. Janket said. “I am particularly interested in application of this technique to prevent future diseases. It would be most enthralling to move some molecules from a gene in order to prevent cancer. As a fringe benefit of attending this workshop, Framingham data usage and mentoring from the leading experts are available to all attendees. That is a real good thing.”
At the three-day intensive workshop, Dr. Janket networked with faculty and staff of Framingham Heart Study, Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and other institutions. The discussion sessions and presentations were designed to teach attendees how to better access, analyze, and use epidemiological data with Framingham Heart Study data presented as examples.
“I am always delighted when members of the GSDM faculty engage with other health professionals in a scholarly setting,” said Dean Jeffrey Hutter. “Dr. Janket’s attendance at the Genetic Epidemiology and Functional Genomics workshop was a great service to the medical community and, specifically, the dental community.”
Learn more about the Genetic Epidemiology and Functional Genomics Workshop.