13th Annual Student Research Showcase set for Oct. 31

The Office of Research at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry is excited to present the 13th Annual Student Research Showcase on Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center.

Natalia Chalmers, DDS, MHSc, PhD, chief dental officer in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will deliver the 2023 William T. Butler Distinguished Lecture.

Her presentation, titled “Oral Health: An Evidence and Data-Driven Approach to Achieve Better Health, Equity, and Fiscal Responsibility,” will discuss long-standing oral health disparities in the prevalence of oral disease and access to oral health care services.

Chalmers is a board-certified pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate with more than 20 years of clinical, research, industry, and regulatory experience. She has devoted her career to transforming scientific and health care data and information into actionable insights to address equity, improve care, and better inform policy and funding. Her research has translated into action, improving oral care and advocating for the role health policy can play across the lifespan — particularly when it embraces dental well-being as a facet of care for the whole person.

The Student Research Showcase is sponsored by the Office of Research and features projects conducted over the summer by predoctoral and postdoctoral students mentored by School of Dentistry faculty.

Complimentary continuing dental education credit is available for alumni, faculty, and residents. Register at Go.uth.edu/Butler2023.