Congratulations to the following students and junior researchers who received awards at PDM Research Day 2024.
AADOCR Student Research Day Award
The AADOCR Student Research Day Award, funded by the AADOCR, is designed to recognize the best presentation at an academic institution’s research day competition. The award consists of a complimentary meeting registration and a monetary award of $500 to assist with travel to the 2025 AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition in New York in March. The Awardees will also be highlighted in the General Session & Exhibition Program Book and AADOCR website.
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Kyungjoon Park: Effect of Aging on the Tensile Force-Induced Mesenchymal Stem Cells Responses: Proliferation and Apoptosis | Hyeran Helen Jeon, Dept. of Orthodontics |
Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) Award
Dentsply Sirona and the American Association for Dental, Oral, Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) have joined forces to co-sponsor the Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA), formerly known as the Student Clinicians of the American Dental Association.
The SCADA program advances our collective commitment to empower the next generation of dental leaders. By showcasing students’ research, and recognizing their passion for discovery and innovation, we will fuel the future of dental care.
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Qinyuan Chen: A Novel Design of Bone-target Delivery Through Bisphosphonate Lipid Nanoparticles | Kyle Vining, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
Penn Dental Medicine AADOCR Travel Award
The AADOCR Travel Award program was launched by Penn Dental Medicine in 2014 to advance student/junior investigator research, providing funds toward their travel to the annual AADOCR meeting where awardees have the opportunity to present their work. Recipients are selected by a faculty panel of judges at Penn Dental Medicine’s annual Research Day. The following recipients were selected at Research Day 2024 and will attend and present their research at the 2025 AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition in New York next March 2025.
DMD Student Awardees
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Srighana Nadella: Effect of Infectious Disease Consultations on Outcomes of Surgical Management of MRONJ | Katherine Theken | Neeraj Panchal, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery |
| Regina Lekumovich: Cxcl-12 Secreted by Adiponectin+ Cells Regulates Bone Turnover and Homeostasis | Chider Chen, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery |
| Anisha Shah: Investigating the Effect of Fungal-Derived β-glucan on Trained Osteoclastogenesis | George Hajishengallis, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences |
| Parth Patel: Factors Affecting Perception of Dental Provider Skills in Autistic Individuals and Their Caregivers Living in Pennsylvania | Diana Schendel, Drexel Autism Institute |
| Ajay Kumar: Oral Proinsulin Drug Bio-encapsulated in Plant Cells | Henry Daniell, Dept. of Basic & Translational Science |
Graduate Dental Education Student Awardees
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Jiaqi Li: Restoration of Lysosomal pH and Functions by Delivering Acidic Nanoparticles | Claire H Mitchell, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences |
| Tahir Hamza: Abdulaziz Alshahrani: Serum Analytes in Periodontal Health, Disease, and Post-SRP | Flavia Teles, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences |
| Abdulaziz Alshahrani: Optimizing Zirconia Speed Sintering Parameters for Strength and Translucency | Yu Zhang, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
Junior Investigator Awardees
| Awardee/Project | Research Lab |
|---|---|
| Malihatosadat Gholam Zadeh: Lamin A/C Deficiency in Chondrocytes Exacerbates Osteoarthritis Severity by Regulating Chondrocyte Senescence and Related Degradation Activity | Shuying Yang, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences |
| Gundappa Saha: Trained Immunity as a Causative Link in the NASH-Periodontitis Comorbidity | Flavia Teles, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences |
| Yuchen Jiang: Determination of Altered Elemental Compositions within TBCK-deficient Enamel to Predict Neurodegenerative Phenotype Severity | Kyle Vining | Elizabeth J. K. Bhoj, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
Gail Schupak Travel Award
The Gail Schupak Student Research fund was established in 2021 by a generous gift from Alumnae Gail Schupak D’83. The purpose of the fund was to give students access to resources for year round research projects making them more competitive for awards and fellowships within and outside the School. Additionally, the funds are being used for the first time this year to award two travel stipends for winners to attend AADOCR meeting in the following year.
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Marvin Min: Effect of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) on Inflammatory Pain Response | Katherine Theken, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery |
| Stefanie L Wyszkowski: In Vitro Comparative Study Between Full-Arch Abutment Level Implant Impressions with Different Scan Bodies – A Pilot Study | Julian Conejo, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
Oral Cancer Award
Awarded from proceeds of the annual Penn Dental Medicine Oral Cancer Walk & 5K for a student to attend the AADOCR meeting in the following year.
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Jessica Hao: ZIF-8 as pH-responsive 5-fluorouracil Carrier Against Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Chider Chen, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | Fusun Ozer, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
Vernon Brightman Award
| Awardee/Project | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|
| Madina Shikhverdieva: Bond Strength of a Luting Cement to Two Different Resin Core Foundation Materials | Fusun Ozer, Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences |
