Abdelgilil receives Most Outstanding Presentation Award at Hinman Symposium

Second-year dental student Hanan Abdegilil of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry was recognized as a recipient of the Most Outstanding Presentation in Basic Science Research Award at the 28th Annual Hinman Student Research Symposium in November.

Abdelgilil was recognized for her oral presentation, titled “Accessing the Role of Neisseria Oral Taxon 14 and Sphingolipid/Ceramide Metabolism on Parkinson’s Disease.” Ransome van der Hoeven, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, was her faculty mentor.

“Winning such a prestigious award holds so much value on both a personal and professional level,” said Abdelgilil, member of the Dental Class of 2026. “I can’t help but show gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Ransome van der Hoeven, and those that supported me along the way, especially my parents — they’re my biggest cheerleaders.”

The Hinman Student Research Symposium was held Nov. 10-12 at the historic Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tenn.

Abdelgilil was among 101 dental students and graduate trainees from 44 dental schools across the U.S. and Canada to compete in oral or poster presentations.

Thirteen awards were given for the most outstanding student presentations — six in clinical research and seven in basic and translational research during the closing ceremony on Nov. 12.

“Being able to present my research at a national level is something I’ve always challenged myself to do, so to see it unfold has been a major blessing,” Abdelgilil said.

Professionally, she considers the award to be a key milestone in her trajectory.

“I view it as one step closer to pursuing a career in academia,” she said. “My goal is to give back to UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry and hopefully become a faculty member one day.”

Abdelgilil received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Houston in 2022.

During her undergraduate studies, the Houston native founded the pre-health organization, Society of Future Medical Professionals, and served as its president.

The Hinman Student Research Symposium rewards and encourages dental student efforts in research and supports the research and educational programs of faculty research mentors and research administrators. The Symposium aims to increase participant awareness of opportunities for continuing dental education in future years and the important role of dental research in the future dental practices.

Additionally, four other dental students also participated in the oral and poster presentations:

• Nour Hilal, third-year dental student, oral presentation, “EFTU-2 and SYF-3 are Required for the Post-transcriptional Regulation of ZIP-10,” mentor: Ransome van der Hoeven, PhD
• Stephanie Hoang, third-year dental student, poster presentation, “Periodontal Furcation Involvement Detection Using Artificial Intelligence (AI),” mentor: Jennifer Chang, DDS, MSD
• Jinmin Kim, third-year dental student, poster presentation, “Effect of Model Support and Design on Accuracy of Thermoformed Appliances,” mentor: F. Kurtis Kasper, PhD
• Keaton Moore, third-year-dental student, poster presentation, “Effect of Model Print Orientation on Accuracy of Thermoformed Appliances,” mentor: F. Kurtis Kasper, PhD

Kasper, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics, served as a faculty judge at the Hinman Student Research Symposium.

Hosted by The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, the annual symposium is co-sponsored by the Hinman Dental Society. Additional support was provided by Procter & Gamble, The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry Alumni Association, and the Tennessee Dental Association Foundation.