GSDM Showcases Research at AADR Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) and the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from March 21-24, 2018. Dozens of faculty, students, residents, and staff from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) presented at and attended this prestigious conference. The meeting attracts thousands of researchers for four days of workshops, keynote speakers, oral and poster sessions, symposia, and an exhibition.

GSDM students, residents, and faculty were well-represented across the meeting’s events. Thirty-nine researchers participated in the poster session and nine gave oral presentations. A complete list of the GSDM students, residents, and faculty who presented is available on the Research website.

This year’s meeting marked the close of Dr. Raul Garcia’s one-year term as the President of the AADR. Dr. Garcia is a longtime faculty member of GSDM and serves as Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research. He also serves as the co-Director of the Northeast Center for Research to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities (CREEDD). The AADR is the largest division of the IADR with nearly 3,500 members nationwide.

Ariana dela Cruz DMD 20 was recognized with an AADR Student Research Fellowship. Two students were also selected as finalists in the AADR Hatton Competition, Ghassan Darwish DSc 18 in the Junior Category and Eileen Daley DSc 18 in the Senior Category.

GSDM held a reception on Thursday, March 22, in the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel. Students, residents, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests were greeted by Dean Jeffrey Hutter and Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska. The reception was pleasantly busy, with attendees enjoying refreshments, while they socialized and networked.  An animated video depicting the outcome of the GSDM Addition & Renovation Construction Project, along with still images of the exterior and interior spaces of the new facility was played continuously during the reception to inform everyone about this exciting development in the history of GSDM.

In the exhibition hall, students and staff manned the GSDM booth.  There was a high level of interest in both academic programs and research opportunities, with a steady influx of visitors throughout the exhibition. The student volunteers at the table offered prospective applicants a unique, student-centered perspective, which kept visitors engaged and highly interested in the opportunities at GSDM.

Thank you to all the students who staffed the booth: Jessica Collins DMD 19, Ariana dela Cruz, Melissa Ferguson DMD 20, Srujana Kraleti DMD AS 18, Ray Kuo DMD 20, Edith Lin DMD 19, Jessica Wang DMD 20, and Saeed Yazdianpour DMD 18.

“GSDM faculty, students and residents did an outstanding job presenting their research at the AADR meeting,” said Dean Hutter. “With Dr. Raul Garcia serving as President of the AADR, this was a banner year for GSDM’s participation in the meeting.”

The 2019 AADR meeting will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from June 19 through June 22.

Photos from the 2018 AADR meeting can be found on Flickr.