School of Dental Medicine

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine’s (SIU SDM) Dr. Nathalia Garcia will participate in the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Enid A. Neidle Scholar-in-Residence program. The award was announced at the March 2017 ADEA Annual Session in Long Beach, Calif.

To obtain the award, Garcia had to propose a research project related to women issues in a dental academic career. She is studying “Gender and Faculty Research Productivity in Academic Dentistry.”

“During my experience at ADEA, I will survey faculty from dental schools around the country to evaluate productivity, and determine what perceptions and practices might be encouraging or discouraging their ability and willingness to engage in the kind of advanced studies the field requires,” said Garcia, a periodontist at the SIU SDM. “In the course of my experience at ADEA I would also use every opportunity to be more informed about promotion and advancement policies for women in academia in other areas of the country.

“I would like to know how gender related issues are dealt with successfully in other institutions, and how other universities or organizations promote greater satisfaction and quality of teaching for women in academic dentistry nationally.”

Garcia will spend time at the ADEA office in Washington, D.C. during July 2017, and again in both March and June 2018. She will conduct her research, and at the same time explore issues facing women faculty, including promotion, advancement and tenure policies, entry and re-entry into the workforce, child care and elder care, women’s health, work patterns, advanced education and research opportunities, and other gender-related issues. Each scholar is assigned to a senior ADEA staff member and involved in a range of ADEA activities, in addition to her principal project.

Garcia expects the experience to not only benefit her personally and professionally, but also the SIU SDM. “The ADEA experience will provide discovery of new avenues of leadership in my work and personal life,” she said. “I hope to develop contacts and guidance, so that I can provide greater leadership and opportunities for the women that I teach and mentor.  

“I expect to access information to promote excellence in education and gender fairness,” Garcia said. “I would also like to become a resource for women, who may be considering careers in academic dentistry, and thereby reinforce the importance of women in the field of dental education nationally. If we increase female participation at every level of dentistry, it will become easier for both genders to be successful and find the personal balance necessary to provide high quality dental care to their patients.”

This Scholar-in-Residence Program honors Enid A. Neidle, former president of ADEA (1985-86). Under her leadership, ADEA adopted its policy of promoting the advancement of women in dental education. The program offers a unique opportunity for a dental educator to concentrate on issues affecting female faculty.

Photo: Dr. Nathalia Garcia, periodontist at the SIU School of Dental Medicine.

The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) highlighted the important role research plays in the daily practice and continued advancement of the dynamic profession of dentistry during its 2017 Research Day held Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

“Our profession is constantly improving treatment alternatives and introducing new and better options,” said Bruce Rotter, DMD, dean of the SIU SDM. “The dental practitioner must often make choices regarding which are the best procedures and materials to treat their patients. Research forms the basis for these decisions.”

At the School of Dental Medicine, we want our students to have a functional understanding of basic and translational research so they have the ability to make informed decisions as practitioners,” he added.

The event’s featured speaker was John A. Sorensen, DMD, PhD, FACP. Sorensen is a professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, associate dean of Graduate Studies, director of the Biomimetics Biomaterials Biophotonics Biomechanics and Technology laboratory (B4T) and director of research for the Graduate Prosthodontics Program at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle.

Dr. Sorensen’s presentation was entitled, “Evidence Based Dentistry are Not Dirty Words – answering questions that arise in everyday practice.”

“As future and currently practicing clinicians, it is critical to understand that the practice of dentistry can be enhanced by asking and answering relevant questions,” said Anita Joy, BDS, PhD, associate professor and director of the SIU SDM Office of Research. “Research at various levels can help us do just that.”

Research Day also featured a Student Table Clinic Exhibition, which featured 13 posters detailing the scholarly work of dental students, as well as resident and faculty-produced research.

Year 2 student Vidhi Pandya was awarded first place for her research project: “Role of TGF-β in Cyclosporine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth: A Pilot Study.”

“Vidhi investigated the feasibility of using a novel 3D tissue model to replicate in the lab the dynamics of human gingival tissue,” Joy explained. “She was able to show that the tissue model is a viable tool to study gingival diseases in the lab.”

“I was pleasantly surprised to win first place and appreciated my hard work being recognized,” Pandya said. “I find periodontology and its related aspects to be incredibly interesting. Thus, I wanted to gain more in-depth knowledge into it.”

Pandya conducted her research through the SIU SDM Dean’s Summer Student Research Fellowship (DSSRF), a competitive program designed to introduce students to research.

 “I enjoyed the opportunity to apply various concepts that we have learned in class to an experiment,” she added. “It was a rewarding experience that I hope will allow me to stay current on the latest research in order to provide the best possible care for patients in future.”

Dentsply Sirona sponsored the first place award, which provides the recipient the opportunity to present their work at the Annual American Association for Dental Research (AADR) meeting. Pandya will present in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in March 2018.

Photo: SIU SDM Research Day featured speaker Dr. John A. Sorensen.

SIU SDM Y2 Vidhi Pandya earned first place during the Student Table Clinic Exhibition. She holds her award, and stands with representatives from Dentsply Sirona Amy Schneider and Joel Pluymert and SIU SDM Dean Dr. Bruce Rotter (far right).