Summer Research Program Application Information

The Summer Research Program is for current Penn Dental Medicine students to engage in a basic laboratory or clinical research project. Student researchers are expected to work full time beginning July 8, 2024 with a faculty advisor on a mutually agreed upon research project. We encourage students to continue working on their projects throughout the academic year as their schedule allows after discussion with their research advisor. Students are expected to write the project proposal with guidance from their research advisor, using these guidelines. Applications for research projects are reviewed and ranked by the School of Dental Medicine Research Committee and awarded funding based on scientific merit and the availability of funds.

The purpose of this program is to provide interested dental students an opportunity to experience both basic and clinical dental research, from a “hands-on” perspective, by participation in an on-going faculty research investigation. The goal of the program is to aid the development of dental students who want to pursue academic and research-orientated careers in the oral health field by providing an interactive experience with active research faculty.

Current Penn Dental Medicine students in good academic standing who are able to commit full time on their research projects during the summer are eligible to apply.

The students should complete the basic required training in Laboratory Safety and Bioethics in Research. Additionally, students conducting human subjects research should consult with their faculty advisor if IRB approval is required before initiating their project. The advisors and students meet weekly to discuss progress and plan for future activities. At the end of the program, each student is required to write a report (200 words), including introduction, objectives, methods, results, conclusions, and future directions of their study which is approved by their advisor. All summer research trainees are also required to give a poster presentation on Penn Dental Medicine Research Day. Research Day is held each spring at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and provides an opportunity for students of all classes to present their research.

Research faculty from throughout Penn Dental Medicine are available as potential faculty advisors for the Summer Research Program. Students can make arrangements to do a research project with Penn faculty outside of the School of Dental Medicine if first discussed with Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Student Research. Students are encouraged to visit the web biographies and learn research areas of each faculty member and identify at least 2-3 faculty advisors to interview. The students should contact the faculty to discuss the research projects and availability of a position in the lab or clinic.

Students can contact Dr. Esra Sahingur to get more information about the application process, identifying research advisors, and guidelines for research proposals.

 

To be considered for the Summer Research Program and its training stipend, students must complete the following:

The deadline for submission of applications is March 15. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for fellowships

A number of travel stipends are available to attend national and international research conferences, including ADA, ADEA and AADOCR/IADR. Penn Dental Medicine grants travel awards following the results of the poster competition held on Research Day. The successful proposals are also sent to AADOCR to compete nationally for AADOCR travel awards. Students are highly encouraged to apply for an AADOCR/Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Hatton Award or IADR/Unilever Hatton Competition Awards (Junior Divisions). The links to different fellowships/awards from different organizations are included below.

 

Contact Information

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine students can send questions about the Summer Research Program to Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Student Research, sahingur@upenn.edu.