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 ADEA’s Gies Award 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. 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, but are not limited to, the Human Microbiome, Oral Infectious Diseases, Mechanistic Connections between Oral and Systemic Health, Virology, Salivary Gland Biology, Autoimmunity, Bone Biology, Head and Neck Cancers, Computational Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Stem Cell Biology.
Established and time-tested interdisciplinary research training programs in the UF Colleges 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 three years of dental school, then complete PhD training and the requirements of their 4th year of dental training during years four through seven. 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
- 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 Administration
| Program Director | Dr. Jose Lemos, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Oral Biology |
| Associate Director | Dr. Mary Ellen Davey, PhD Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Oral Biology |
| UFCD Office of Research | Ronda Breton, Assistant Director Research Administration Christina Mason, Research Administrator III |
| DMD Student Liaison | Denise Webb, Office of Research |
| Internal Advisory Committee |
| Dr. Robert Burne, PhD Distinguished Professor, Louis and Marge Atkins Endowed Professor, University of Florida College of Dentistry |
| Dr. Roger Fillingim, PhD Professor and Director of Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida College of Dentistry |
| Dr. Isabel Garcia, DMD, MPH Dean University of Florida College of Dentistry |
| Dr. William Hogan, MD, MS Professor, Director of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, University of Florida College of Medicine |
| Dr. Wayne McCormack, PhD Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor, Director UF Health Office of Biomedical Research Career Development, University of Florida College of Medicine |
| Dr. Patricia Pereira, DDS, PhD Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, University of Florida College of Dentistry |
| External Advisory Committee |
| Dr. Mina Mina, DMD, PhD Professor and Chair Program Director NIDCR T90/R90 Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Director DMD, PhD Program UConn Health |
| Dr. Stefan Ruhl, DDS, PhD Professor & Dean Emeritus University of Michigan, School of Dentistry |
Training Grant Mentors
| Name/Degree(s) | College/Department Primary & Secondary | Research Interest |
| Dr. Jacqueline Abranches, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Streptococcal and fungal oral infections; clinical translational research |
| Dr. Jeannine Brady, Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Host: pathogen interactions, bacterial adhesion, and immunomodulation |
| Dr. Robert Burne, Distinguished Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Genetics, physiology and pathogenesis of oral biofilm bacteria |
| Dr. Seunghee Cha, Professor | DN – Oral Max & Diagnostic Sciences & Oral Biology | Epigenetic regulation of autoimmunity,Sjögren’s Syndrome, Stem cells/salivary glands |
| Dr. Edward Chan, Professor | DN – Oral Biology & MD – Anatomy & Cell Biology | MicroRNA in cell biology, autoimmunity and oral cancer |
| Dr. Jia Chang, Assistant Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Bone development and turnover in inflammatory diseases |
| Dr. Jorge Frias-Lopez, Associate Professor | DN-Oral Biology | Complex human microbial systems (microbiomes) & their interactions with the host |
| Dr. Frank Gibson III, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Anaerobic bacterial infections, innate immunity, and animal modeling |
| Dr. Gregory Hudalla, Associate Professor | ENG – Biomedical Engineering | Biomaterials that direct host immune responses |
| Dr. Robert W. Huigens III, Associate Professor | PH- Medicinal Chemistry | Novel biofilm-eradicating agents that target human pathogens |
| Dr. Stephanie Karst, Professor | MD – Molecular Genetics & Microbiology | Determinants of murine Norovirus pathogenesis and basis of protective immunity |
| Dr. Lakshmyya Kesavalu, Professor | DN – Periodontology & Oral Biology | Association between periodontal disease and systemic diseases |
| Dr. José Lemos, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Stress response and virulence mechanisms of oral streptococci and enterococci |
| Dr. Luis Martinez Torres, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Fungal pathogenesis and immunology |
| Dr. Cuong Nguyen, Associate Professor | VM- Infectious Diseases & Immunology | Immunobiology mechanism and genetic-based therapy for Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Dr. Bernadett Papp, Assistant Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Genome-wide epigenetic and signaling control of cell identity |
| Dr. Ann Progulske-Fox, Distinguished Professor & Program Director | DN – Oral Biology | Oral pathogens & human endothelial cells; P. gingivalis; oral/systemic health connections |
| Dr. Rolf Renne, Professor | MD – Molecular Genetics & Microbiology | Latent DNA replication and long-term episomal maintenance of KSHV/HHV-8 |
| Dr. Blanka Sharma, Associate Professor | ENG – Biomedical Engineering | Stem cells and unhealthy tissues, nanoparticle-based targeted drug/gene delivery systems and tissue engineering scaffolds |
| Dr. Zsolt Toth, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Epigenetic regulation of oncogenic herpesvirus infection |
| Dr. Lin Zeng, Associate Professor | DN – Oral Biology | Bacterial carbohydrate metabolism and virulence expression, Amino sugar metabolism by dental biofilms, Oral bacterial Ecology |