UFCD’s Comprehensive Training Program in Oral Biology
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)
National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Award # T90DE021990/R90DE022530
The College has been recognized with the ADEA Gies Award (visit link) for its Comprehensive Training Program in Oral Biology. This award is for the commitment to outstanding research and the College’s training environment.
In response to a request from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research to provide Institutional Training for a Dental and Craniofacial Workforce, the University of Florida College of Dentistry has developed a Comprehensive Training Program in Oral Biology. This training grant is one of 15 awarded by NIDCR to US academic institutions (list of national participants). The UFCD program builds on over 25 years of successful training of basic and clinician scientists in oral health research.
Using the extensive educational, scientific and clinical resources at the University, a comprehensive series of pre and post-doctoral training opportunities in research areas are provided, directly related to oral health and diseases. These programs produce highly skilled and interactive scientists prepared to generate new knowledge and translate their discoveries to advances in the detection, prevention, treatment and cure of diseases and abnormalities of the oral and craniofacial complex.
Programs of Study
The scientific areas encompassed in this Comprehensive Training Program in Oral Biology include: Oral Infectious Diseases, Oral:Systemic Health Connections, Autoimmunity, Bone Biology, Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Biology, Oral Cancers, Salivary Gland Biology, and Pain. A team of experienced and well-funded basic and clinical researchers has been assembled to provide an extensive set of training experiences in the biomedical sciences, directly relevant to oral health and diseases.
Established and time-tested interdisciplinary research training programs in the UF College of Dentistry and Medicine are utilized with particular emphasis on the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (IDP), and clinical research training programs supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
Training Opportunities
Pre-doctoral
- DMD-PhD dual-degree program: Individuals in this track will complete 3 years of dental school, then complete PhD training and the requirements of their 4th year of dental training during years 4 through 7. Options for a training focus in clinical investigation are also available for dual-degree candidates through the IDP and CTSI programs.
- PhD training for BS/BA or MS holders: Individuals in this track will pursue the PhD degree in the IDP program in an “advanced concentration” with the option of augmenting their training with formal course work and a certificate in clinical investigation through the CTSI.
Post-doctoral
- DMD(DDS)-trained, degree-seeking: Individuals in this track will pursue PhD training in the IDP with the option of earning a certificate in an advanced dental specialty in Periodontology, Orthodontics, Endodontics or Pediatric Dentistry. Alternatively, individuals in this track will hold a DMD/DDS and receive training to the MS level in clinical investigation through the CTSI curriculum.
- PhD-trained, non-degree seeking: Individuals in this track will pursue traditional intensive post-doctoral training and have the option of augmenting their training with course work in clinical investigation
- DMD (DDS)-PhD non-degree seeking: Individuals in this track will be supported by the R90 component and pursue intensive post-doctoral training with the option of augmenting their skillset with course work in clinical investigation.
| Program Director |
Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Professor & Chair, Department of Oral Biology
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| Associate Director |
Dr. Jeannine Brady, PhD
Professor & Director of Graduate & Post-Doctoral Research Training & Career Development
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| UFCD Department of Oral Biology | Denise Dorman, Administrative Services Coordinator II |
| DMD Student Liaison | Denise Webb, Office of Research |
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Internal Advisory Committee
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External Advisory Committee
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Dr. Patrick Concannon, PhD
Professor & Director
University of Florida Genetics Institute
Dr. Isabel Garcia, DMD, MPH
Dean
University of Florida College of Dentistry
Dr. David Nelson, MD
Professor & Director
UF Clinical & Translational Science Institute
Dr. Christine Schmidt, PhD
Pruitt Family Professor & Chair
UF Department of Biomedical Engineering
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Dr. Luisa Ann DiPietro, DDS, PhD
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Director, Center for Wound Healing & Tissue Regeneration
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Dr. Peter Polverini, DMD, PhD,
Professor & Dean Emeritus
University of Michigan, School of Dentistry
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Name/Degree(s)
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College/Department Primary & Secondary
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Research Interest
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| Dr. Jacqueline Abranches, Assistant Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Microbe-host interactions with a particular focus in colonization of and persistence within host tissues, and disease |
| Dr. Jeannine Brady, Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Host: pathogen interactions, bacterial adhesion, immunomodulation |
| Dr. Robert Burne, Distinguished Professor Department Chair, Assoc Dean for Research | DN – Oral Biology | Genetics, physiology and pathogenesis of oral biofilm bacteria |
| Dr. Seunghee Cha, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Max & Diagnostic Sciences & Oral Biology | Target tissue specificity in Sjögren’s syndrome, epigenetic regulation of autoimmunity, Sjögren’s autoantibodies |
| Dr. Edward Chan, Professor | DN – Oral Biology MD – Anatomy & Cell Biology | MicroRNA in cell biology, autoimmunity and oral cancer |
| Dr. David Culp, PhD, Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Salivary constituents: Gene regulation, regulation of secretion and their roles in protecting the oral cavity. Animal models of oral disease |
| Dr. Mary Ellen Davey, PhD, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Microbial genetics, polymicrobial biofilm-based infections, and interspecies signaling within microbial communities |
| Dr. Gill Diamond, PhD Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Antimcirobial peptides and innate immunity against microbial infections |
| Dr. Roger Fillingim, Distinguished Professor | DN – Community Dentistry & Behavioral Science | Individual differences in pain; pain genetics; neurobiology of orofacial pain. |
| Dr. Charles Frazier, Associate Professor | PHAR – Pharmacodynamics MD – Neuroscience | Cellular and synaptic physiology in health and disease |
| Dr. Frank Gibson III, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Bacterial-host interaction, innate immunity and chronic inflammation in periodontal disease, oral infection linkage to systemic diseases |
| Dr. Stephen Hagen, Professor & Associate Chair | CLAS & SCI – Physics | Study of quorum sensing in bacteria, and especially noise and heterogeneity in quorum sensing systems |
| Dr. Lexie Shannon Holliday, PhDAssociate Professor | DN – OrthodonticsMD Anatomy/Cell Biology – COM | Bone physiology and pathophysiology |
| Dr. Gregory Hudalla, Assistant Professor | ENG – Biomedical Engineering | Synthetic materials that can harness, recapitulate, or interfere with natural biomolecular interactions to reverse, suppress, or prevent various pathological processes, such as metastasis, autoimmunity, and viral infection |
| Dr. Lakshmyya Kesavalu, Associate Professor | DN – Periodontology & Oral Biology | Role of major Periodontal Pathogens in the initiation of infection, inflammation, immunity, gene expression, alveolar bone resorption and progression of periodontal disease |
| Dr. José Lemos, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Metobolomics |
| Dr. Kevin McHugh, Associate Professor | DN – Periodontology | Expression and function of integrin adhesion molecules in osteoclasts, osteoclast gene transcription and in bone matrix regulation of osteoclast gene expression |
| Dr. Ann Progulske-Fox, Professor & Program Director | DN – Oral Biology | Interactions between oral pathogens and human endothelial cells; Oral:systemic health |
| Dr. Luciana Shaddox, Associate Professor | DN – Periodontology & Oral Biology | Clinical and basic studies on the inflammatory response and the oral microbiota in aggressive periodontitis in children |
| Dr. Blanka Sharma, Assistant Professor | ENG – Biomedical Engineering | Translation of biomaterial-guided cartilage repair, engineering of structurally organized cartilage and osteochondral tissues, and tumor targeting of NPs for gene therapy |
| Dr. Lizi Wu, Assistant Professor | MD – Molecular Genetics & Microbiology | Identification and functional characterization of a family of MAML transcriptional co-activators and targeting of CRTC1-MAML2 fusion oncogene; Deregulated LKB1-CRTC1 signaling in human cancers |
| Dr. Zsolt Toth, Assistant Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Host-pathogen interaction, regulation of immune response against viral infection, epigenetic control of viral infections, mechanisms of viral oncogenesis |
| Dr. Jorge Frias-Lopez | DN-Oral Biology | Gene expression of the human microbiome in health and disease; how human microbial communities are structured; the role of keystone species of stability; the oral microbiome and cancer |
| Active Students & Degree(s) | Project |
| T90 Pre-Doctoral Fellows | |
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David Brice – B.S.
University of Central Florida
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Vitamin D’s role in the antiviral response of oral keratinocytes |
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Gavin Golas – B.S.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Viral insults to the small intestine are not dealt with properly in type 1 diabetes |
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Kyulim Lee – B.S.
University of Florida
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4th Year Dental Student N/A |
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Mahmoud Mona – B.S.
University of Florida
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4th Year Dental Student N/A |
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Seung Jin (James) Jang – B.S.
University of Florida
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1st Year Dental Student |
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Natalie Atyeo – B.A.
Duke University
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2nd Year Dental Student |
| T90 Post-Doctoral Fellows | |
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Dr. Yuk Pheel Park
Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology
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Preclinical Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T therapy for Head and Neck/Oral Cancer |
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Dr. Justin Kaspar
University of Florida
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Mechanisms of translational control in Streptococcus mutans
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Dr. Natalie Maricic University of Michigan
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Using a genetic and proteomic approach to identify novel regulators of genetic competence in Streptococcus mutans
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| R90 Post-Doctoral Associate | |
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Dr. Fernanda Godoy Rocha
Faculdade de Odontologia
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Oral epithelial cell control of immune plasticity in periodontal disease |
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F31 Pre-doctoral Fellow
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Danielle Vermilyea – B.S. University of South Florida
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Molecular mechanisms involved in L-arginine signaling in Porphyromonas gingivalis |
