Presenters and mentors with Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter, Associate Dean for Research Maria Kukuruzinska, and Assistant Director of Pre-doctoral Research Afaf Hourani
Students, staff, and faculty filled classroom G-309 on Friday, August 9, 2013, to hear the DMD 16 Student Research Presentations. This year saw even more student researchers and guests than last year, nearly necessitating a larger room.
Eleven students, now in their second year, who completed research last spring and summer during their Applied Professional Experience (APEX) rotations shared their results. They are: Assal Abdossalehi, Amrit Basi, Mohamed Bayoumy, Nicolas Branshaw, Andrew Brattain, Jessica Finkielsztein, Jae Kwak, Yun-Young Lee, Keng Lor, Matthew Mara, and Ahmad Najjar.
Research topics spanned the gamut of oral health and ranged from public housing to head and neck pathology to genetic inquiries. After each 10-minute presentation, students answered questions from guests and mentors. Most of the students found mentors at GSDM, while one, Mohamed Bayoumy, worked with members of the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). (See this week’s story about Mohamed as the recipient of the 2013 NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award.)
Dean Hutter attended and said, “I am so pleased to see an increase not only in the number of pre-doctoral students participating in research, but also the caliber of research being conducted.”
Students in the APEX first-year research rotation split their five-day week conducting either two days of research training and three days in a clinical setting or three days of researching training and two days of clinical work. Those who choose three days of research enroll in the Intensive Research Elective Course, which provides an intensive and structured research experience throughout the School of Dental Medicine curriculum for students who are interested in careers in oral health research.
The presentations are part of the Pre-doctoral Research Program (PRP). The mission of the PRP is to shape the future of dental medicine and dental education through research; to educate students from diverse backgrounds about the importance of research in dental medicine; and to mentor students to make informed decisions about research career opportunities.
“The Pre-doctoral Research Program is a wonderful opportunity for students to enhance their educational experiences at GSDM,” says Associate Dean for Research Maria Kukuruzinska. “I am delighted to see many students take advantage of the program and look forward to their future contributions to dentistry and dental education.”