Highlights

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Root Canal? Next-Gen Treatment Could Involve Stem Cells, Not Surgery

Camila Sabatini, DDS, PhD, associate professor of restorative dentistry in the School of Dental Medicine at the University at Buffalo, has received the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study novel therapies to repair damaged teeth. Read more.

Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College: From Innovation to Inclusion

When Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) opened in 2016, it was the first new dental school to open in New York State in 50 years—and the very first dental school under Jewish auspices in the world, outside of Israel. These two core foundations shine through in the school’s commitments to modern innovation, as well as to service and social justice. Read more.

Student & Alumni News

Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine: First-Year Students Fit for White Coats

Symbolizing their commitment to the profession of dentistry and optimal care for their patients, the School of Dental Medicine’s Class of 2027 officially accepted their new attire – fresh white coats – at the annual White Coat Ceremony, held on April 15 at Sidney Gelber Auditorium in Stony Brook University’s Student Activities Center. Forty-five students crossed the stage in front of their family and friends, as well as faculty, staff, senior leadership of the Suffolk County Dental Society and industry partners in attendance. Read more.

Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine: Pediatric Dentist Selected as 2024 Distinguished Alumnus

As Reneida Reyes, DDS ’78, MPH, took the stage at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony in April, the decorated pediatric dentist began her address with two words: Tempus fugit. In Latin: “Time flies.” Back on the Stony Brook campus once more, Dr. Reyes has made the most of her time as a practitioner, teacher and in organized dentistry, prompting the SDM’s Alumni Chapter to name her as this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Read more.

Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester: Scientists Pinpoint Protein That is Central for Cell Division, Craniofacial Development

A protein originally thought to play a role in tooth structure and development is an essential part of mitosis—the process that allows cells to replicate and the body to grow —according to a new study published in PLOS Biology. Researchers found that if craniofacial development protein 1 (CFDP1) is disrupted, mitosis is disturbed: Only if the protein is intact will mitosis proceed and lead to healthy cell division. The team of scientists from the Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of Rochester says the work provides a means to better understand the overall process of development. Read more.

Awards & Grants

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Researchers win Journal of Dental Research Cover of the Year Award

When it comes to oral health, few things are more important than saliva. UB School of Dental Medicine researchers are advancing our understanding of how salivary glands function properly through genetic studies of mice—knowledge that could improve treatments for patients who suffer from saliva deficiency. Read more.

NYU College of Dentistry Collaboration Awarded $8M NIH Grant for Oral Cancer Pain Research

Researchers at the NYU Pain Research Center have been awarded a five-year National Institutes of Health grant to study signaling mechanisms that generate oral cancer pain. The funding is part of the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, which supports the development of safe and effective therapeutics to treat pain in an effort to end the opioid crisis. Collaborating scientists will investigate signaling receptors located within endosomes, an organelle in cells. Read more.

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: NIH-funded Training Grant Engages Dentists in Researching Periodontitis in Jamaica

Understanding periodontitis and associated diseases in Jamaica is the focus of a new international NIH-funded training grant led by Dr. Patricia Diaz, Sunstar Robert J. Genco Endowed Chair, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, director of the UB Microbiome Center, Department of Oral Biology. Read more.

Faculty

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Ruhl to Serve as Chair of Oral Biology

Stefan Ruhl, professor in the School of Dental Medicine, has been named chair of the Department of Oral Biology. Ruhl assumed his new role on March 14. He succeeds Ashu Sharma, professor of oral biology, who has been acting as interim chair since January 2023. “Dr. Ruhl, a prominent researcher who has provided many years of teaching and service to UB, will shape the future of the department and build upon its legacy as a preeminent center of oral health research,” Marcelo Araujo, dean of the dental school, said in announcing the appointment. Read more.

NYU College of Dentistry: Dr. Kara Margolis Named Director of the NYU Pain Research Center

Kara Gross Margolis, MD, has been named Director of the NYU Pain Research Center, effective May 1, 2024. Dr. Margolis is a pediatric gastroenterologist with internationally recognized clinical expertise in brain-gut axis disorders, including abdominal pain-associated disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). “Having Dr. Margolis, a physician-scientist, at the helm of this important initiative bodes well for the future of pain research and treatment – and for ultimately improving the lives of dental and medical patients suffering from pain,” said Dr. Charles N. Bertolami, Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU Dentistry. Read more.

More News

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: CDM Celebrates 67th Birnberg Awards and Symposium

The diverse student research projects that students of Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine have undertaken in the past year were on display during the 67th annual Birnberg Research Award Symposium. The award, which was established by the Alumni Association of the College of Dental Medicine in the early 1950s to encourage students to engage in research, features a keynote address by an eminent researcher. Read more.