Trident Fall 2023

TRIDENT

PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER ARTHUR A. DUGONI SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

september 2023

COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT

EDITOR

Katherine Kieu

Jennifer Yau

CONTRIBUTORS

Jetson Lee

Heesoo Oh

Katherine Kieu

Npahtali Brezniak

Marie Tolarova

Esha Patel

Seung Ah Jung

We hosted a social night at SF Spark Social on Friday, March 17. The Alcoves was reserved for our cozy group of about 25 which included residents, faculty and a few alumni. The weather cooperated and there was plenty of food, drink, and camaraderie to be had.

Our long-awaited 50th Anniversary Celebration finally took place on Saturday, May 6. About 80 alumni attended the symposium in the morning where fellow alums Cory Constanzo ’04, Joorok Park ’08 and Marta Baird ’11 gave practical information on the latest digital advances and Invisalign®, respectively.

COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT CONT.

The dinner was held next door to the school at the Intercontinental Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. It was heartwarming seeing the alumni support with almost 190 attendees. The architect and first chair of the program, Dr. Richard Rutter, was present to see how the program he created has developed and evolved and we were all treated to video greetings from Dr. Arif Alvi ’84, now the president of Pakistan! Many classes were well represented, but one in particular, the Class of 1985 (Braden Beck, Craig Davis, Alan Marcus, Gerald Smith, and Jeffrey Wong) was the only class, along with the first-year residents, that was present in its entirety. Kudos to the Class of 1985! The party continued with dancing until close to midnight!

The celebration was a success and I spent most of the following morning responding to emails, text messages and phone calls regarding the wonderful evening everyone experienced. There is already talk of a 60th Anniversary Celebration!

On Saturday, July 30, the department hosted a picnic in Golden Gate Park to welcome the Class of 2025 which began their residency just after July 4th. Over 50 residents, family, friends and faculty and staff attended —one of the largest turnouts for the picnic that we have ever had. It was so great to see families with small children.

The 13th Annual Arthur A. Dugoni Graduation Symposium and Dinner is set for Friday, September 29. Our speaker, Dr. Lucia Cervidanes, is the Thomas and Doris Graber Endowed Professor of Dentistry and Associate Professor from the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Michigan. Her talk is titled “Unlocking the Hidden Secrets of Patient Care through 3D Imaging and Artificial Intelligence Technologies”.

This year’s PCSO Annual Session is again being held in conjunction with the Western Orthodontic Conference (WOCON), to be held at the Disneyland Hotel (site postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic) November 2-5. Our alumni reception is scheduled on Friday, November 3 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm (venue TBD).

COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT CONT.

Next year’s Frederick T. West Orthodontic Lectureship will either be at the Fairmont on Friday, February 9 or at the school on Saturday, February 10. Plans are being finalized. Dr. Neil Kravitz, JCO editor-in-chief, is the scheduled speaker

As I mentioned in the previous issue, I am stepping down as committee chair to allow a newer generation to take the reins. It has been an honor to be the custodian of our organization for so many years. I want to thank our committee members for their dedication. If you are interested in taking the next step to lead our chapter, please contact Dr. Heesoo Oh at hoh@pacific.edu.

Aloha, a hui hou, Jet

Dear alumni and friends,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer.

I am thrilled to share that our 50th anniversary celebration event on May 6 was an incredible success! It was an absolute privilege to commemorate this momentous occasion with all of our alumni, former and current faculty and staff, residents, and Dean Nadershahi and his administration team. The event was made even more memorable by the presence of two former department chairs, Dr. Richard Rutter and Dr. Robert Boyd. I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the planning committee members and all attendees for making the 50th anniversary celebration so exceptional. Please take a moment to view the photographs on page 6 and on the event’s website at https://dugonischool.smugmug.com/Other/Ortho-50th-Anniversary-Event-May-2023/ngQck6v/i-TPBR3Cz

Our post-event survey asking for feedback revealed that alumni unanimously suggest holding this grand celebration every decade, rather than the traditional 25-year intervals we have followed for the 25th and 50th anniversaries. As such, we have decided to hold the 60th anniversary celebration event in 2031. Please note that our original 50th anniversary was postponed for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am delighted to share some incredible accomplishments from our department since my last report in the spring:

1. Dr. Jonas Bianchi was selected for a second time for the prestigious AAOF Orthodontic Faculty Development Fellowship Award. His winning research proposal is titled “Can Artificial Intelligence Approaches Predict the Need for Orthognathic Surgery?”

2. Dr. Heeyeon Suh (’22), our newest full-time junior faculty member, was awarded the highly competitive AAO Full-Time Faculty Fellowship Award and received $30,000/year for two years. This prestigious award is given to the most talented and promising junior faculty who completed an orthodontic residency program within the past five years. Additionally, she received the 2023 Clear Aligner Research award in collaboration with Dr. Jonas Bianchi, demonstrating her exceptional promise in the field.

3. At the AAO meeting in Chicago, our program was well-represented. Dr. Bianca Lau (’22) received the 2023 JCO Eugene L. Gottlieb Student of the Year Award. Participating in a two-stage, months-long competition against more than 30 other residents from programs throughout the United States and Canada, she was selected as this year’s recipient after being judged for clinical excellence by editorial board members of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. In addition, Dr. Christina Suh (’23) won third place in the Resident Research Poster Competition. The Class of 2022’s cases were also well-represented in the CDABO resident case display, with special recognition for Dr. Kyle Cuenin’s case.

4. Dr. Parisa Moravedje Torbaty (’23) was elected as the PCSO’s New and Younger member (NYM) Director-at-Large. This esteemed position, with voting privileges alongside other PCSO directors, emphasizes the importance of empowering new and young members to shape the future of our profession.

Moreover, I am thrilled to announce the commencement of our new Dental Sleep Medicine Fellowship program in August of this year, with Dr. Maryam Arab as our first fellow. Dr. Arab brings valuable expertise from her orthodontic residency at Boston University and craniofacial fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She will do her clinical training in our dental sleep medicine clinic and have rotations at Stanford Sleep Medicine Center and Children’s Hospital in Oakland. You can learn more about our Sleep Clinic and wDental Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program on the following websites:

https://dental.pacific.edu/sleepclinic

https://dental.pacific.edu/sleepfellowship

The summer quarter is always the busiest time for us as we welcome our new residents and conduct many academic events for the graduating class. Our historic 50th class, the Class of 2023, is working very hard to complete all graduation requirements, such as the 10-year case presentations, ABO clinical mock exams, finished case displays, research presentations, thesis defenses and case reports. Unsurprisingly, the Class of 2023 passed their ABO written exams with excellent performances. Congratulations to them all on taking the first step toward becoming board-certified orthodontists.

The Class of 2024 demonstrated solid academic and clinical knowledge during their comprehensive oral examinations at the end of their first year of residency. They are now moving to a more clinically focused second-year curriculum and will devote more time to their research projects.

Lastly, we warmly welcome the Class of 2025. Each incoming resident will receive a $8,750 scholarship, made possible by the annual spin-off of $70,000 from the combined Arthur A. Dugoni and Robert Boyd Orthodontic Endowed Scholarships. Although it may have little immediate impact on their educational costs, which is over $120,000/year in tuition, it marks the first step towards realizing our dream of providing our exceptional orthodontic residency program tuition-free.

Once again, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your unwavering support. Please take a moment to read about our program’s remarkable achievements and news in the following sections. Your continued support makes all of this possible.

Sincerely,

Heesoo Oh

EVERY DENTIST MUST TEST THEIR STERILIZERS WEEKLY

YOUR SUBSCRIPTION DOLLARS HELP SUPPORT A STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND.

You already know that infection control regulations require use of a Sterilizer Monitoring Service. But did you know that the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry Sterilizer Monitoring Service uses its profits to provide scholarships for dental students? Since 2003, this service has generated $402,150 in student scholarships. With additional subscribers (like you) we could do so much more!

Our Sterilizer Monitoring Service provides high quality biological monitoring for all types of office sterilizers. The cost is $199.00 annually for each sterilizer. Instructions for using the test strips are included. Reports of test results are provided to document your compliance.

ORDERING INFORMATION

ONLINE www.go.pacific.edu/DugoniSMS

EMAIL elara@pacific.edu

PHONE 415.929.6622

The Dugoni School Sterilizer Monitoring Service provides quality monitoring services and supports dental education.

Scholarship recipients (clockwise from top) Estevan Tinoco, ‘16, Steven Speaker, ’15 and Alexandra Wenzel, ’15

IN THE NEWS

37th Annual Frederick T. West Orthodontic Lectureship Conference with Dr. Audrey Yoon’s lecture on “Orthodontist’s Role for Children With Sleep Disordered Breathing.”

As the 2023 Salzmann award recipient, Dr. Steve Dugoni presented on early treatment at the AAO

Dr. Marie Tolarova presented a keynote lecture at the first annual conference of the Asociación Colombiana de Diferencias Congénitas Craneofaciales in Medellin, Colombia March 23-25, 2023. Her lecture was titled “Rehabilitation of children with congenital anomalies and cleft lip and palate.”

TopReviewersof2022

The AJO-DO reliesondedicatedassociateeditorsandreviewerswhogivegenerouslyoftheirtime andexpertise.In2022,the AJO-DO received948newmanuscriptsubmissionsplushundredsof revisions.Weconsultednearly500reviewerslastyear,andcollectively,theycompletedover 2000reviews.Manyreviewersareinvitedtoreviewafewtimesperyear,butafewweturntorepeatedly, onceamonthormore.Wearegratefultoallourreviewers,andofferthisextrarecognitionto 37reviewerswhocompleted12ormorereviewsin2022.

DonaldJ.Rinchuse,Irwin,PA(26)

MarcioRodriguesAlmeida,Bauru, Brazil(24)

RanyBous,Cleveland,OH(24)

Jean-MarcRetrouvey,KansasCity, MO(22)

TangTinHongAlexander,Central, HongKong(22)

DianeJohnson,Mooresville,IN(20)

ElieWilliamAmm,Boston,MA(20)

KazuhitoArai,Tokyo,Japan(20)

AllahyarGeramy,Tehran,Iran(19)

RenataRodriguesAlmeida-Pedrin,Bauru, Brazil(19) IsilAras,Jacksonville,FL(18)

ManuelO.Lagravere,Edmonton,AB, Canada(18)

RobertBoyd,SanFrancisco,CA(18)

SylvainChamberland,Quebec,PQ,Canada (18)

UmbertoM.Garagiola,Inveruno(Milan), Lombardy,Italy(18) XuQian,Seattle,WA(18) AdamAlexander,CollegeStation,TX(17) Min-HoJung,Seoul,RepublicofKorea(17) HongBeomMoon,LosAngeles,CA(16) RodrigoHermontCancado,Belo Horizonte,MinasGerais,Brazil(16) SergioEstelitaBarros,PortoAlegre, RioGrandedoSul,Brazil(16)

KarinaMariaSalvatoreFreitas,Bauru,SP, Brazil(15) NaphtaliBrezniak,Tel-Aviv,Israel(15) PauloRobertoAranhaNouer,Campinas, SaoPaulo,Brazil(15)

MonaM.S.Fayed,Cairo,Egypt(14)

WenjieLi,Changsha,Hunan,China(14)

IchiroTakahashi,Fukuoka,Japan(13)

JongMoonChae,Daejeon,Republicof Korea(13)

KhaledAlsharif,Morgantown,WV(13)

PhilipE.Benson,Sheffield,United Kingdom(13)

FeifeiJiang,Shenzhen,Guangdong, China(12)

JonasBianchi,SanFrancisco,CA(12)

KevinO'Brien,Manchester,United Kingdom(12)

LuciaH.S.Cevidanes,AnnArbor, MI(12)

NagwaHelmyEl-Mangoury,Beachwood, OH(12)

R.MatthewMiner,Norwood,MA(12)

SteveHarrison,Rolla,MO(12)

Dr. Jonas Bianchi was nominated as a 2022 top reviewer for the AJODO.

UOP Annual Summer Picnic at Golden Gate Park

Dr. Yoon Weon Suh was awarded the William R. Proffit Resident Scholar Award at AAO

GRADUATING CLASS OF 2023

Dr. Valerie Hernandez-Bluin Private practice in southern California

Dr. Yidi Liu Private practice in Indiana

Dr. Stacey Moon Private practice in the Bay Area

Dr. Yoon Weon Suh Private practice in New York

Dr. Youg Eun Jung Private practice

Dr. Jaime Kika Masunaga Private practice in Hawaii

Dr. Nina Stevens Private practice in Palm Springs

Dr. Parisa Moravedje Torbaty Private practice in Southern California

SECOND YEAR RESIDENTS’ REPORT

By Dr. Esha Patel and Dr. Seung Ah Jung (Class of 2024)

The Class of 2024 is excited to start our second chapter of residency! We are amazed at how fast our first year flew by, despite the tremendous amount of learning that took place, and we are ready to continue learning and growing as second-year residents.

We started our first year by getting our feet wet with typodont class before diving into the clinic with new patients. We enjoyed learning about optimal bracket positioning by practicing on each other while exchanging nostalgic stories about our own personal experiences with orthodontic treatment as teenagers. As the year went by, we expanded our didactic knowledge in biomechanics, cephalometrics, and facial growth in order to better plan and treat our clinical cases. It has been astonishing to see how far we have come in bonding brackets, planning ClinChecks, delivering appliances, and bending wires. Although we have a ways to go to master these skills, the progress we have made has been rewarding for both our patients and ourselves.

Outside of the classroom and clinic, we have appreciated opportunities to spend time with the dental school community. From our local happy hours to the 50th anniversary celebration of our orthodontic department and out-of-state conferences such as GORP, WOCON, and AAO, we have truly enjoyed connecting with the Dugoni School family across the nation. We cannot wait to continue this journey and see what the next year brings!

SECOND YEAR RESIDENTS’ REPORT CONT.

With the new academic year, we greeted our incoming first-year residents and welcomed them to the Dugoni School family. It has been insightful to reflect upon where we started only a year ago and our experiences working with our “little sibs” to help them acclimate to life in residency. Although we have only known them for a short time, we have sincerely enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them, particularly at this year’s GORP conference in St. Louis. Lastly, we would like to thank our third-year residents for guiding us through our first year of residency. We will greatly miss them next quarter, but we are excited to see their orthodontic careers flourish. Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2025

Dr. Khaled Alotaibi

I was born and raised in Kuwait. I pursued my dream of a dental degree overseas at the University of Manchester, UK. I’m honored to join the Dugoni School family in furthering my dental ambitions of becoming an orthodontist. In my free time, I enjoy exercising, traveling and learning through new experiences. I grew up playing table tennis and competed professionally for several years. If anyone would like to challenge me to a game of table tennis, I’m sure I’d be up to the challenge!

Dr. Austin Bauldry

I was raised in Galt, CA where I graduated from Galt High School. I later earned a biology degree from UC Santa Barbara and received my DDS degree from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. After graduating in 2020, I spent the next three years practicing general dentistry in Lodi, CA. I am excited to begin my orthodontic education. When not practicing dentistry, I enjoy riding my motorcycle, mountain biking, camping and spending time with my girlfriend, family and friends.

Dr. Gregory Pavlos

I grew up in the suburbs of Sacramento, CA. I studied molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno where I met my wonderful wife, Julie. I obtained my DDS degree at UCSF where I fell in love with all that San Francisco has to offer. After graduation, I practiced general dentistry in Las Vegas, Nevada for a year while welcoming my daughter, Elizabeth, into the family. I am ecstatic to return to San Francisco via the Dugoni School orthodontic residency to begin a career that revolves around patient interaction. While away from school, I enjoy spending time outside with my family and eating my way through the city.

Dr.

I was born and raised in Michigan. I attended the seven-year dental program at the University of Detroit Mercy and graduated with my DDS in May 2023. I have had research experience in CBCT analysis of the airway and malocclusion during my time in dental school. In my free time, I enjoy horseback riding, playing piano and violin, and traveling with my family. Two dreams of mine are to live in California and study orthodontics, so I feel very blessed to be able to do both at the Dugoni School. :)

Ila Sayed

INTRODUCING THE CLASS 2025 CONTD.

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I graduated from UCSD in 2017 with a BS in physiology and neuroscience and a minor in business. I earned my DMD degree at Roseman University of Health Sciences in Utah, where I received multiple awards for my research work and was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon honor society. I am grateful to be back in California to continue my education at the Dugoni School for my orthodontic residency. In my free time, I enjoy baking, exploring new coffee spots, traveling and karaoke with friends.

I was born and raised in Stockton, California. I completed my undergraduate and dental studies at University of the Pacific. After graduating, I proudly served as a dentist in the U.S. Navy for three years. Outside of my professional endeavors, I enjoy drinking a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, dancing to Arabic and American music, exploring new cuisines alongside my spouse and traveling the globe.

I was born in Taipei, Taiwan and was raised in Vancouver, Canada. I attended the University of Pennsylvania as a member of the seven-year bio-dental program, where I earned both my B.A. in biology and my D.M.D. degree. I am thrilled to return to the west coast to begin my orthodontic training and to explore a new home with the Dugoni School family for the first time in seven years! In my free time, I enjoy biking, cooking, learning obscure historical facts and checking out new restaurants.

I am originally from Costa Mesa, California. I began my undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah before serving as a missionary in Brazil for two years. Upon returning from Brazil, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. Concurrent with my acceptance into the dental program at the Dugoni School, I was selected for the Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program. I graduated with honors and soon after, began my military service aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. My second tour brought me home to Orange County where I completed my service at Camp San Mateo aboard Camp Pendleton in Southern California. I enjoy athletics, surfing and visiting national parks with my wife Kellene and our three children.

Dr. Sharon Su

Dr. Jimmy Suliman

Dr. Andrew Tsai

Dr. Justin Cody Waldron

ALUMNI CORNER

Dear Fellow Alumni,

For this fall issue of the Trident, we are excited to introduce a new column called the ‘Alumni Corner,’ which is intended to mirror the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section found in other publications. Our goal is to provide a forum for public discourse where our alumni can share their opinions, thoughts, and ideas on issues that they feel are relevant to our profession and community. We would like to thank Dr. Npahtali Brezniak (‘86) for contributing to our very first ‘Alumni Corner;’ we hope it will spur others to write in responses or opinion editorials (op-eds) of their own.

We welcome the discussion of controversial topics and recognize that there will be different viewpoints. As part of a professional community, we request that submissions remain respectful towards colleagues so that we can foster and encourage an open exchange of ideas. We hope you find the ‘Alumni Corner’ beneficial and that you will all eventually contribute to the column.

If you are interested in submitting letters, please send them to the email addresses provided below. We look forward to receiving responses for our spring issue.

Warmest Regards,

Katherine Kieu and Jennifer Yau kitkatkieu@gmail.com and jenniferhyau@gmail.com

ALUMNI CORNER CONTD.

Dear Dr. Heesoo Oh, Colleagues from the Class of 1986 and Honorable Guests:

From day one, I recognized that you are one of a kind. Our class was the most ethnically diverse, but in reality the most united. The support all of you, especially Jetson Lee, gave me was unbelievable and indescribable. For me, UOP was a warm place that represented the best time in my long educational life. The deep love I feel for the department and my colleagues is unmeasured.

It gave me the foundation for my research and the guts to open an orthodontic residency program in Israel. I realized that the base I got in my 24 months at UOP was most influential on my personal and academic career.

During these years, I contributed numerous publications to the orthodontic literature, two of which made the list of ‘most quoted papers in the first 20 years of the 21st century’ at #13 and #72. I could not be here without UOP, Dr. Roberts (my primary mentor at UOP), Dr. Rutter, and the late Dr. Poulton.

UOP gave me the courage to develop a new concept with regards to Orthodontic Root Resorption. In the future, this may affect the legal implications surrounding this devastating phenomenon by considering the pulp as a major organ involved in an inside-the-tooth defense mechanism process, similar to the one we experience in the PDL, but more severe.

In addition, I would like to introduce another biomechanical concept: nullification of the role of the center of resistance as a factor while placing a couple in a bracket on the tooth by moving the center of rotation to the mid-bracket point. This fact is the one that takes power from aligners to develop torque, since developing torque in removable appliances is unfeasible. No removable appliance can develop true stable long-term anchorage because it is removable.

The couple is the most powerful force in traditional orthodontics (the historical braces and fixed appliances...). It is present at the start of treatment with the first wire until “the last of them...” This silent force, the couple, is the one that allows GPs to use orthodontics without additional training, since the only contribution they should perform is proper bonding and wire changing (cookbook treatment). In most cases, the rest will be ‘done’ by the wire(s).

Clear aligners can only tip. The rest of the movements are far from true movements like intrusion, extrusion, and of course, torque (all other movements cannot be accomplished without braces or implants). I know the orthodontic community will deny those two concepts because nobody likes revolutions and everybody wants to defend their so-called errors. However, I hope somebody will wake up one day and scream that “the emperor is naked.”

I congratulate the program on being 50 years old and hope it will continue to serve the worldwide community forever.

Npahtali Brezniak, UOP orthodontic program graduate 1986, Israel, May 2023

FACULTY UPDATES

The 15th International World Congress of International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation

The International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation is a multidisciplinary humanitarian foundation devoted to cleft lip and palate patients. It was established in 1997 and has over 8,000 members. In June 2021, Dr. Marie Tolarova was elected as the ICPF president (www.icpfweb.com).

This year, the Korean Cleft Lip and Palate Association (KCLPA) jointly hosted the 15th ICPF Congress and the 27 Annual Congress of KCLPA. The Congress was held at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital in Seoul and was attended by over 400 international and national participants (www.cleft2023seoul.org). The theme was a “New Era in 3D Digital Treatment.”

For the first time in history, the ICPF congress was organized by orthodontists, which included Dr. Seung-Hak Baek (Department of Orthodontics Seoul National University School of Dentistry) as president of the Congress, Dr. Chooryung Chung (Department of Orthodontics Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul) as chair of the program committee, and our former resident Dr. Mihee Hong (Department of Orthodontics, Kyungpook National University Dental Hospital, Daegu) as editorial director.

In addition to traditional sessions that focused on treatment, cleft prevention and basic science, the Congress also introduced new sessions on digital technology, fetal medicine, and etiology and genetics. For the first time, delegates from the NIDCR, the largest funding agency of dental and craniofacial research, participated at the Cleft2023 conference in Seoul. Dr. Rena DeSouza, the director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, USA (NIDCR), started the congress with her keynote lecture “NIH’s Vision for Cleft Palate Research: Translate We Must.” This was followed by two other presentations: the president’s keynote by Dr. Tolarova, “What We Have Learned About Etiology of Orofacial Clefts Since Poul Fogh-Anderse” and the keynote by Dr. Janice Lee (Clinical Director, NIDCR/ NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Clinical Research, NIH, USA) on “Using 3D Geometric Morphometrics Analysis to Predict Facial Growth.”

FACULTY UPDATES CONTD.

Dr. Joorok Park (“Application of Digital Orthodontics for Craniofacial Patients”) and Dr. Mirek Tolar (“Cleft Lip and Palate and Other Congenital Anomalies: Pathogenetic Mechanisms and Prevention By Folic Acid”) were both invited to lecture, which facilitated discussions that may lead to future collaborations. Dr. Mihee Hong also presented a nice epidemiological overview of orofacial clefts in Korea (“The Up-to-Date Prevalence of Cleft Lip and/or Palate and the Trend of Their Orthodontic Treatment Supported by the Korean National Health System”).

At the end of the congress, our former faculty Dr. Heon Jae Cho hosted all of us from the Dugoni School to a nice dinner in a beautiful Korean restaurant.

Craniofacial Genetics and Stem Cells Regenerative Dentistry Laboratory

Two of our visiting research fellows from Iran, Dr. Mahboube Hasheminasab (faculty at the OMS at Tehran University) and Dr. Solaleh Amirpour (a young dentist from Tehran), developed notable research skills in a short amount of time. Both fellows are supporting the research of our residents, Dr. Nina Stevens, Dr. Andre Tran and Dr. Jonathan Starley. Together with two of our third-year dental students, Harrison Truman and Tyler Starley, our group continues to focus on two lines of research, which involve biomarkers of tooth movement and a model for molecular action of rescuing stem cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress by folic acid. Our students’ hard work was recognized at the CDA spring meeting in Anaheim, where Tyler Starley won first place in the Dennis Shinbori DDS student table clinic competition for: “Human dental pulp stem cell culture model for studies on etiopathogenesis of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate anomaly” (Starley T, Starley J, Truman H, Hasheminasab M, Amirpour S, Tolarova M, Tolar M).

In March 2023, Dr. Tolar and Dr. Tolarova were invited to attend the first international congress of the Asociación Colombiana de Diferencias Congénitas Craneofaciales (adccraneofacial.org) in Medellin, Colombia. Dr. Tolarova presented the keynote lecture on the etiology and prevention of cleft lip and palate.

The Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa organized the “Rehabilitation of children with congenital cleft lip and palate” program at the Euro-Asian International Congress, which was held in April 2023. With both in-person and virtual options, 5,000 doctors and students attended the event. Dr. Marie Tolarova was among the international speakers who presented a keynote

Passed away on October 17, 2022

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pasadenastarnews/ name/richard-salsbury-obituary?id=38109650

Passed away on July 31, 2023

https://pleasantonweekly.com/obituaries/memorials/leonard-victor-cheney?o=7965

Dr. Richard Salsbury

Dr. Leonard Cheney