Brought to you by the College of Dentistry Office of Research, Continuing Education, the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) — and supported by the Robert L. Kaplan Visiting Professorship Fund — Spring Synergy promotes the college’s many research accomplishments and provides a venue to learn through CE, and interact with the campus community, alumni and industry professionals.
Spring Synergy 2025 was held on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the J. Wayne Reitz Union. The event brought together more than 370 attendees, including DMD students, Ph.D. candidates, residents, postdocs, faculty, and staff.
Highlights included:
- A record-breaking 87 research posters were presented across the Basic Science, Clinical, and Educational Research categories.
- Keynote presentations were delivered by Dr. Nate Lawson and our own faculty member, Dr. Roger Fillingim.
- Nine students, a faculty, and one staff earned first- and second-place honors in the poster presentation competition.
- Natasha Patel was selected for the prestigious SCADA Award, advancing to represent UF at the national level.
The 2025 program fostered collaboration, showcased innovation, and celebrated the college’s commitment to advancing oral health science.
2025 Spring Synergy Winners
Pre-Dental/Undergraduate
1st Place – Ariana Robinson | DNA Methylation of the NR3C1 Gene and its Association with Chronic Pain
2nd Place – Sam Curtis | BRIDGE the Gap: Bolstering Resources for Inclusive Dental Growth and Equity in Gainesville, Florida
DMD
1st Place – Julia Volpi | Nrf2 Regulation of Innate Immune Response of Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts
2nd Place – Isabella Bridges | Plant-Derived Exosome Effects on Pain and Locomotion in Rats
MS/Resident
1st Place – Janelle Aguirre | Impact of Allograft and Xenograft Ridge Preservation on Dental Implant Outcomes: A Retrospective Study
2nd Place – Natalie Williams | Analysis of Crestal Bone Loss within the First Year after Placement in Healed Bone: A Prospective, Observational Clinical Study of the T3 Dental Implant System
PhD/PostDoc
1st Place – Callahan Katrak | Combinatorial H2O2-NaF Treatment That Mitigates Streptococcus Mutans-Candida Albicans Synergism
2nd Place – Miranda Carter | Preliminary Investigations into the Effects of Supraphysiological Salivary Zinc Levels on Oral Microbiome Composition
Faculty/Staff
1st Place – Soamy Montesino-Goicolea | Sleep Impairment Mediates Pain-Related Reductions in Brain Clearance Capacity
2nd Place – Matthew Warchol | Hyaluronic-Acid-Nitric-Oxide-Release Systems Affect Macrophage Phenotype and Function