Student Researchers

Alisa Lee (D’21) Medical Research Scholars Program, NIH

What’s your current research project? I’m in the Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) at NIH. MRSP is a comprehensive, year-long research enrichment program designed for medical, dental, and veterinary students. There are numerous labs in the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) studying a wide variety of subjects such as bone biology and mineral metabolism, salivary gland function, and immunology. I’m doing research at the NIDCR, focusing on a rare bone disorder called Hyperphosphatemic Familial Tumoral Calcinosis. MRSP will give me the opportunity to dig deep into a research project and learn how to scientifically evaluate past, present, and future oral health care practices to improve patient care.

What qualities do you admire or think are important in researchers? In research, not every experiment that you do is going to work perfectly. In fact, most experiments will probably result in unexpected or inconclusive data. This is where perseverance and critical thinking come in play. Often you need to adjust experimental conditions to get clear answers to your questions. I admire researchers who do not give up when faced with an obstacle. Remember that the beauty of research is that you get to explore the unknown, solve puzzles, and discover new worlds. Unexpected results might reveal something no one has come across yet. So do not be afraid to fail multiple times! If you run into a problem, take a step back and critically think about what can be changed. Take your passion and push further.

What was the most difficult time in your research? How did you get over it? Balancing time can be challenging in research. There are so many questions out there that need to be investigated, but we can only devote so much time to finding the answers. Especially as a student, I had to balance school, work, and research among other day-to-day tasks. Research definitely takes time to learn and it can be daunting at first. However, it’s important to not feel rushed when doing experiments, because rushing often leads to mistakes. For me, I write down everything that I need to do for each day so that I won’t forget. Having an organized schedule allows me to make the most out of my day. I’m still working on balancing my schedule with experiments and meetings, but it gets easier over time.

Any advice for students who are interested in research? There are plenty of research opportunities at the school and outside school! If you are just getting started, I would recommend that you look at the Penn Dental Medicine research website and see the list of topics that current faculty members study. When you find a few labs that might interest you, email the professor, express your interest, and ask if there are any open positions. Try to find a mentor who is willing to spend the time and provide you with one-on-one guidance, as this can have a positive effect on your overall research experience. The summer research program at Penn Dental Medicine is a good choice if you want to get an idea of what research is like.

Jinnu Kim (D’23)

“Student dental research is extremely important, as it opens new doors for clinical practice as well as improves upon current practices we have right now. There are many debilitating dental diseases that may give rise to even more harmful systemic diseases, and with research, we can aim to treat and even prevent these from occurring. Dental research, from the basic sciences to the directly applicable clinical research, is important to helping patients & the general population stay healthy.”

Andrew Casey (D’23)

“I think dental research is extremely important as it drives the field forward, and directly impacts what we learn during our classes. It is nice to know Penn has so many opportunities for students to get involved in dental research.”