Faculty Presents Research at First Poster Day
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) organized its inaugural “Faculty Poster Day,” where faculty members had an opportunity to share their research with the community. The event held in the Oral Health Pavilion on Feb. 7, 2024, drew in students, faculty, and staff.
“It is the first time we have this day to spark interest in research,” said Maria Teresa Minaya, the program clinical coordinator at RSDM’s Office of Research and the day’s organizer. “Students can learn what faculty are working on, and faculty can see each other’s research.”
The event featured 16 posters by faculty and student researchers. The presentations spanned across dental disciplines and subjects. Vanessa Chrepa, associate professor of endodontics and director of clinical and translational research, for instance, presented her groundbreaking study that found that cannabidiol (CBD)–the non-addictive marijuana derivative–might be an effective and safer alternative to addictive opioid painkillers.
A group of researchers from the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, including Department Chair Steven R. Singer and Dean Cecile A. Feldman, investigated the association between periodontal disease severity and cardiometabolic risk. Their work is pending publication.
Oral biology faculty Daniel Kadouri and Emi Shimizu shared their research on the use of predatory bacteria for controlling and healing dental pulp infections. Kadouri has recently been awarded a New Jersey Health Foundation grant to continue his work on predatory bacteria Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, which he hopes can be an alternative treatment method when antibiotics fall short. Shimizu, on the other hand, is part of a team made up of her RSDM colleague Carla Cugini and New Jersey Institute of Technology faculty that received a $3 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop a remedy regenerating lost tooth pulp in root canals.
At the event, students interested in research found a chance to sign up for RSDM’s Student Summer Research Program, which allows first-, second-, and third-year DMD candidates to engage in a four-week basic or clinical research project with a faculty member. The program aims to provide an opportunity for students to learn and participate in cutting-edge research that can help them understand new science and technology in dentistry and health care.
