School of Dentistry well-represented at 2024 AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition

UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry was well-represented in March at the 2024 Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

Held March 11-16 in New Orleans, faculty, students, and residents took part in in-person presentations, interactive talks, and symposiums.

Several students were recognized for individual awards.

AADOCR NSRG 411 Rapid Research Competition

Third-year dental student Nour Hilal received first prize in the Basic Science Category of the AADOCR National Student Research Group 411 Rapid Research Competition for her presentation, titled “EFTU-2 and SYF-3 are required for the post-transcriptional regulation of ZIP-10.” Associate Professor Ransome van der Hoeven, PhD, served as her mentor.

The NSRG 411 Rapid Research began in 2019 as an opportunity for pre-doctoral dental students to grow their ability to communicate their science to a non-scientific audience.

AADOCR Bloc Travel Grant

Second-year dental student Amy Tran was named a recipient of the AADOCR Bloc Travel Grant. This honor marked the second straight for Tran, who also won the award in 2023. Associate Professor Noriaki Ono DDS, PhD, served as her mentor.

The AADOCR Bloc Travel Grant supports travel for dental students and NIDCR-supported trainees to present and attend the AADOCR Annual Meeting. Those selected will receive funds on the basis of the quality of an abstract accepted for presentation at the annual meeting.

AADOCR Hatton Competition

Tran was also selected as one of 27 competitors to participate in the AADOCR Hatton Competition.

The AADOCR Hatton Competition is an oral presentation competition designed for junior investigators who exhibit potential for a productive career in dental research.

SCADA

Periodontics resident Ali Al Hatem, DDS ’23, received third place for his presentation, titled “MDT-15 Mediates Enhanced Immunity in C. Elegans Against S. Gordonii,” in the Basic and Translational Science Category in the Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application, more commonly referred to as SCADA. van der Hoeven was his mentor.

The purpose of the SCADA program is to advance the commitment to empower the next generation of dental leaders by showcasing students’ research and recognizing their passion for innovation and discovery.

Exhibition Hall & Reception

The School of Dentistry had a booth in the exhibition hall. The booth included information about the school and its research programs.

Additionally, the dental school held its annual dinner March 13 at the Annunciation Restaurant.

The conference marked AADOCR’s 53rd Annual Meeting, which was held in conjunction with the 102nd General Session of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.