25 April 2023

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AADOCR Announces 2023 Gert Quigley Fellowship Winner

Tommaso Albonetti

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The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) announced on April 10 that Maryam Baldawi is the 2023 AADOCR Gert Quigley Government Affairs Fellow.

The Gert Quigley Fellowship is designed to familiarize graduate-level students with the federal legislative process in the context of dental, oral and craniofacial research and the oral health care delivery system. As part of the fellowship, Baldawi will complete a short work stay at AADOCR headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

According to a news release, she will serve a one-year term as a voting member of AADOCR’s Government Affairs Committee and as the government affairs liaison to the AADOCR National Student Research Group (NSRG).

Baldawi is a second-year DDS candidate at the University of Texas UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry and a regional representative for the NSRG. A key focus of her studies has been utilizing artificial intelligence and deep learning models to identify caries on dental radiographic images. 

In October 2022, she won Best Abstract in Applications of Radiology, AI, and Teledentistry for a UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry Showcase. She also won the 2022 UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry Bouquot-To-Go Student Award for Innovative Dental Research and came in second place in the junior category during AADOCR’s 2022 Hatton Competition.

“The Gert Quigley Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for AADOCR student members to learn how the legislative process works and how they can impact federal funding for dental, oral, and craniofacial research,” said AADOCR CEO, Christopher Fox, in the news release. “The fellowship not only exposes participants to Capitol Hill and key policymakers but engages students in the policy development process and advocacy initiatives. Maryam will be a great addition to our government affairs team, and we look forward to working with her over the coming year.”

About AADOCR

The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being. AADOCR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit, and private-sector institutions who share our mission.

The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research is the largest division of the International Association for Dental Research.