M E E T O U R N E W E S T F A C U LT Y
Ching Chang Ko, DDS, MS, PhD On January 27th, Dr. Ko joined the college as Chair of the Division of Orthodontics. His education includes a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan, and a Master of Science degree in bioengineering at Taiwan’s National Yang-Ming University. He also completed a PhD in bioengineering and biomaterials at the University of Michigan, after which he earned a certificate in orthodontics from the University of Minnesota. Throughout his career, Dr. Ko has held faculty and research-related positions in biomedical engineering at the National Yang-Ming University and in the Department of Biological and Materials Science at the University of Michigan. He was also a research associate and an assistant professor in the Department of Oral Science at the University of Minnesota’s School of Dentistry. In 2006, he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill, where he served in the Department of Orthodontics as an associate professor, a full professor, a program director, and the department’s vice chair. In 2017, he was appointed as Chair of the Department of Orthodontics. Dr. Ko maintains an active research program focused on bone diseases that affect dental health; biomaterials for bone cell regeneration; biomimetic bone cements for dental implants; and nanocomposite scaffolds for TMJ-related tissue engineering. His work has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, as well as numerous other philanthropic and corporate organizations, and he has published more than 125 scholarly articles related to his findings. Dr. Ko is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and he has received numerous honors that include distinguished alumni awards and three Faculty Member of the Year awards from the Department of Orthodontics at UNC’s School of Dentistry. ■
Sarah Peters, PhD Dr. Peters joined the college faculty on March 1st as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biosciences. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from the Florida Institute of Technology, after which she completed a Master of Science degree in atmospheric science at the State University (SUNY) of New York at Albany. Continuing her professional education at SUNY, she earned a PhD in biology in 2014. Prior to joining Ohio State’s faculty, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama, where her research was funded by a K99/R00 grant from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. That funding continues to support Dr. Peters’ examination of the mechanisms that regulate the stimulation of nerves in the dental pulp that then send signals to the brain. Her other research interests include the development and regeneration of the tooth, mandible, and long bone; and the study of mouse submandibular salivary gland development and branching morphogenesis and differentiation. As a member of the college faculty, Dr. Peters conducts research and contributes to the didactic teaching responsibilities of the Division of Biosciences. She also supports curriculum development to ensure the highest quality of educational experiences for pre-doctoral students. ■
faculty news 48
