23 July 2025

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Penn Dental Medicine Hosts 4th Annual CiPD Symposium: Dentists, Scientists & Engineers Transforming Oral Health

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The Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD) at Penn Dental Medicine proudly hosted its Fourth Annual CiPD Symposium on May 29 bringing together a dynamic community of dentists, scientists, and engineers to explore groundbreaking innovations in oral health. Held at the Penn Dental Medicine, this year’s symposium highlighted the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing affordable, high-impact therapies and precision diagnostics.

Themed “Dentists, Scientists & Engineers Transforming Oral Health,” the event featured a prestigious lineup of speakers, including:

• Dr. Drew Weissman, 2023 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, delivering the morning plenary on “Nucleoside Modified mRNA-LNP Therapeutics.”
• Dr. Joseph DeSimone, Stanford professor and 2016 National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipient, presenting the afternoon plenary on “The Delicate Interplay Between Light, Interfaces and Design: The Complex Dance that Allows 3D Printing to Scale to Manufacturing.”
• Dr. Edward Zuckerberg, CEO of Painless Social Media and an advocate of oral-systemic health connection, closing the day with a keynote on “Bridging Oral Health & Systemic Wellness: Emerging Research & Future Innovations.”

The symposium showcased cutting-edge research from CiPD faculty, trainees, and students, covering topics such as craniofacial regeneration, oral microbiomes, AI-driven diagnostics, microrobotics and nanotechnology. A highlight of the day included a poster session competition and collaborative discussions with industry leaders like Colgate-Palmolive, Kenvue, Young Innovations, and Neocis.

“We are thrilled to welcome our community and distinguished guests to support and transform the future of oral health,” said Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo and Dr. Kathleen J. Stebe, Co-Founding Directors of CiPD. “This symposium reflects our commitment to innovation, advancing health equity and precision health care solutions through interdisciplinary research, training, and entrepreneurship.”

The event is supported by premier sponsors and partners in research and training, including the NIDCR T90/R90 Advanced Oral Health-Engineering Training Program.

Source: www.dental.upenn.edu