Students, Faculty Turn Spotlight on Penn Dental Research at 2026 IADR/AADOCR/CADR General Session
Philadelphia — Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty were featured prominently at the 2026 IADR/AADOCR/CADR General Session & Exhibition, held March 25-28 in San Diego, California. More than 60 students and faculty researchers participated in this international meeting for oral and craniofacial research, delivering scientific presentations across workshops, symposia, oral sessions, and poster forums.
Penn Dental Medicine presenters shared discoveries spanning periodontal biology, oral cancer, biomaterials, immunology, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) research, population health, and emerging nanotechnologies. Faculty members led and contributed to scientific sessions, while students at all levels — predoctoral, graduate, and postgraduate – participated in poster and oral presentations.
“The work presented by our students and faculty highlights the strength of our research community and the extraordinary range of scholarship at Penn Dental Medicine,” says Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean of Graduate and Student Research.
Penn Dental Medicine researchers also received awards and recognition during the General Session for their contributions to oral health research. Notable honors included the following:
Student Awards and Recognitions
AADOCR Student Research Fellowship
This competitive fellowship encourages dental students in the United States to pursue careers in oral health research. Following completion of their research projects, recipients present their work at a future AADOCR meeting. Three DMD students from Penn Dental Medicine were recognized with a Student Research Fellowship award.
Yin-Chu (Ingrid) Lai, GD’23, D’28, Sex Differences in Inflammation and Analgesic Response in Post-Surgical Dental Pain (Mentor: Katherine N. Theken, PharmD, PhD)
Yuantong (Rachel) Li, D’27, Optical and Mechanical Properties of Compositional Gradient Multilayer Zirconia under High-Speed and Conventional Sintering (Mentor: Kyle Vining, DDS, PhD)
Connor Riesenberger, D’28, Optical and Mechanical Properties of Compositional Gradient Multilayer Zirconia under High-Speed and Conventional Sintering (Mentor: Yu Zhang, PhD)
AADOCR Hatton Competition – 2nd Place in the Postdoctoral Category
The competition is designed for junior investigators (junior, senior and postdoctoral) who exhibit potential for a productive career in dental research.
Xiaolei Li, Nanoengineered Endogenous Commensal Bioreactors for Targeted Biofilm Disruption and Caries Prevention
Dr. Li’s research is leveraging the mouth’s innate defenses for targeted dental caries treatment. This project engineered a beneficial oral commensal bacterial strain into a nano-bacteria hybrid by FDA-approved iron oxide nanoparticles decoration. These microscopic hybrid factories continuously convert the bacteria’s endogenous hydrogen peroxide into highly potent reactive oxygen species specifically within acidic cariogenic microenvironments. This targeted therapy not only heavily resists salivary washout but achieved a significant reduction in severe dental caries lesions in vivo, pioneering a potentially new approach in therapeutic design.
Faculty Awards
IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators Competitors – 1st Place
The IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators was created to award new investigators with original research in oral disease prevention or oral health promotion.
Dr. Zhi Ren, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Endodontics, A New Class of Bacterial Motility from the Oral Microbiome
IADR Young Investigator Award
This award is presented in recognition of significant contributions to the field of oral health research and is one of the 17 IADR Distinguished Scientist Awards presented annually.
Dr. Chenshuang Li, Associate Professor of Orthodontics
DMD & Postdoctoral Presentations
Penn Dental Medicine students and postdoctoral researchers who presented innovative and impactful research at the 2026 IADR/AADOCR/CADR General Session & Exhibition included the following:
| Name | Presentation | Mentor |
| Ward Kyle D’26 | 3-Dimensional Assessment of Glenoid Fossa Remodeling After Herbst Appliance Treatment | Dr. Hyeran Helen Jeon |
| You (Grace) Wu, D’28 | Osteoblast-Specific FoxO1 Deficiency Mitigates T2DM-Induced Bone Loss | Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang |
| Dayoon Chang, D’27 | Viscoelasticity of Surrounding Matrix Regulates Oral Cancer Spheroid Growth | Dr. Kyle Vining |
| Shira Wald, D’26 | Salivary RANKL and OPG: Windows Into HIV-Related Bone Health | Dr. Modupe Coker |
| Dhruvi Patel, D’28 | Utilization of Enzyme-Loaded Nanocarriers to Disrupt Oral Biofilms | Dr. Geelsu Hwang |
| Victoria Chan, D’28, ML’28 | Transforming Dental Restorations With Embedded BTO-AU Nanoparticles | Dr. Geelsu Hwang |
| Emily Luo, D’28 | Antibiofilm Impact of Barium Titanate-Gold Nanoparticle Coating on Tooth Surfaces | Dr. Geelsu Hwang |
| Rachel Park, D’28 | Topography-Dependent Cross-Kingdom Biofilm Formation on Hydroxyapatite Tooth Models | Dr. Geelsu Hwang |
| Stephanie Moga, D’27 | Panoramic Radiographs and Salivary Biomarkers: Bone Fragility Screening in PWH | Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa |
| Yuantong Li, D’27 | Hydroxyapatite-Targeting Lipid Nanoparticles for Periodontal Disease Therapies | Dr. Kyle Vining |
| Bryanna Bravo, D’26 | Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Activation and Analgesic Response Following Third-Molar Extraction | Dr. Katherine Theken |
| Zilin Guo, D’27 | Development of Bispecific Antibodies Targeting Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV) Glycoprotein-C | Dr. Gary Cohen |
| William Kim, D’29 | Keratinocyte Ferroptosis at the Dentogingival Junction Potentiates Periodontal Breakdown | Dr. Kang Ko |
| Harsha Meduru, D’28 | MRGPRX2-Dependent Mast Cell Activation by Antimicrobial Polymers for Oral Immunity | Dr. Hydar Ali |
| Serena Liu, D’28 | Antimicrobial Peptide Suppression of Carcinogenic Acetaldehyde Production in OSCC Patients | Dr. Henry Daniell |
| Bahar Azadi, D’28 | Quercetin Inhibits MRGPRX2-Mediated Mast Cell Activation; Implication for Periodontal Disease | Dr. Hydar Ali |
| Renali Patel, GD’24, D’28 | Condylar Changes in Temporomandibular Joint Development in Mice Animal Models | Dr. Wenjing Yu |
| Dimi Schweitzer, D’26 | An Analysis of Adolescents’ Perspectives on Dentists as COVID-19 and HPV Vaccinators | Dr. Katherine France |
| Michael Troka, C’23, D’26 | ScRNAseq of Diabetic Wounds Reveals a Novel Pro-Healing Target | Dr. Dana Graves |
| Natalie Wang, D’28 | Preoperative Psychological Predictors of Outpatient Pain Trajectory Post-Third-Molar Extraction | Dr. Katherine Theken |
| Kawintip Prasongyuenyong, GD’28 | Single-Cell Spatial Transcriptomics Unveil Pathologic Signatures of Inflamed Peri-Implant Free-Flaps | Dr. Kang Ko |
| Manuel Acuna, D’26 | Evaluation of Anti-Adhesive Biomaterial in Multi-Species Oral Biofilm | Dr. Geelsu Hwang |
| Lina Baeesa, GD’26 | Mechanistic Link Between DEL-1 and HIF-1a During Inflammation Resolution Periodontitis | Dr. George Hajishengallis |
| Aleena Defreitas, GD’23, D’28, GD’28 | LGM2605 Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in a Ligature-Induced Periodontitis Model | Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia |
| Nicole Farkouh, D’28 | Relationship Between Adipokines and Opioid Use Following Third Molar Extraction | Dr. Katherine Theken |
| Jeslyn Mei, D’28 | Natural Flavonoid Fisetin Mitigates Cellular Senescence in Gingival Epithelial Cells | Dr. Esra Sahingur |
| Sherry Schneider, D’27 | LGM2605 Modulation of Cytolethal Distending Toxin Induced Inflammation in Macrophages | Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia |
| Samuel Suslavich, D’28, GD’28 | Fisetin Targets Senescence Pathways to Suppress Periodontal Inflammaging | Dr. Esra Sahingur |
| Kenny Feng, D’28 | The Role of YAP/TAZ in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells | Dr. Chider Chen |
| Ryan Elder, D’27 | Anemia and Postoperative Complications in MRONJ: a Multivariable Analysis | Dr. Puhan He |