11 November 2025

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22nd Annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day

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The UCSF School of Dentistry showcased its dedication to basic research and clinical innovation during the 22nd Annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day (RCED) on October 8, 2025. More than 300 members of the dentistry community attended the event, which underscored UCSF Dentistry’s commitment to scientific inquiry and clinical practices that improve patient outcomes.

Sarah Knox, PhD, interim associate dean for research, and Dean Mike Reddy, DMD, DMSc, welcomed everyone to the event, which featured oral presentations and a poster session highlighting work by dental students and research fellows in collaboration with their mentors.

The plenary speaker, Luciana Macchion Shaddox, DDS, PhD, MS, professor and associate dean of research at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, presented "Grade C Molar Incisor Periodontitis: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Going?"

Dr. Knox praised the plenary session, noting that "the guest speaker was fantastic. She provided a talk that combined clinical content—patient focused—with scientific questioning and analyses." She added, "Questions from the audience for each of the talks were outstanding. Many junior trainees asked about important details of the work and thoughts on clinical application."

The Spotlight on Clinical Excellence presentation was delivered by Diana Nguyen, DDS, Health Sciences associate clinical professor, who presented "Clinical Education as a Catalyst for Leadership Development."

After the event, Dr. Nguyen reflected on the value of the day’s discussions. "It’s such a valuable opportunity to hear new perspectives, be inspired by the innovative work happening elsewhere, and imagine ways we might collaborate across institutions in the future."

She also emphasized the importance of engaging with the School of Dentistry community. "Seeing our learners share the research they’re conducting with their PIs and hearing them present gave me an even greater appreciation for the important work they’re doing outside of patient care, work that directly advances our profession and expands the treatment possibilities we can offer our patients."

Jeffrey Bush, PhD, chair of the Department of Cell & Tissue Biology, gave the final talk of the day, the Faculty Research Lecture, titled "Coming Together and Splitting Apart: Modeling Morphogenesis and Congenital Disease through Live Imaging and Gene Editing."

Congratulations to all award recipients and thank you to everyone who participated.

2025 Research and Clinical Excellence Day Awards

Mentor of the Year

Akshay Govind, DMD, MD, MPH

Research Associate Category

Kevin Lu (Mentor: Stefan Habelitz, PhD)

Postdoctoral/Resident Category

1st Place: Arvind Rajan, PhD (Mentor: Erica Hutchins, PhD)

2nd Place: Khushboo Gupta, BDS, MDS (Mentor: Kamal Al-Eryani, DDS, PhD)

3rd Place: Melania Gómez Rodríguez, BDS, MPH (Mentors: Anke Hemmerling, MD, PhD, MPH, and Linda Neuhauser, DrPh, MPH)

Graduate Category

1st Place: Hannah Herzog (Mentors: Edward Hsiao, MD, PhD, and Christopher Hernandez, PhD)

2nd Place: Christopher Bravo (Mentor: Susan Lynch, PhD)

3rd Place: David Sung (Mentor: Ophir Klein, PhD, MD)

People’s Choice Award

Maulik Ahuja

Predoctoral Category

1st Place: Ernst Newbrun Award for Research Excellence—Danial Pirooz (Mentor: Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, DDS, PhD, MPH, MS)

2nd Place: Maulik Ahuja (Mentor: Christine Hong, DMD, MS)

3rd Place: Deborah Tan (Mentor: Stefan Habelitz, PhD)

Source: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/