A MESSAGE FROM VBRS PRESIDENT

Dear Penn Dental Medicine,

It is my honor to introduce the Winter 2023 edition of PDM Explorer from the Vernon Brightman Research Society (VBRS). As the primary student research organization at Penn Dental Medicine as well as PDM’s chapter of the National Student Research Group (NSRG) of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), VBRS serves as a bridge between research here at PDM and the student body. Named in honor of Vernon J. Brightman, a former Penn Dental Medicine faculty and strong supporter of student research, VBRS has continued his legacy for over 20 years. We take great pride in promoting interest and participation in the basic science and clinical research at the forefront of the dental profession. In this eleventh edition of PDM Explorer, we proudly share our passion and efforts to promote student involvement in research here at Penn Dental Medicine.

To kick off the fall semester, we held our annual Research Speed Dating Event virtually. With student mentors involved in basic and translational sciences, clinical and public health research, we were able to demonstrate a small fraction of how vast dental research expands. As technology and innovation advances, the scope of research is broadened, and our student panel reflected that diversity. In this event, we highlighted how our students are involved in research across multiple disciplines and this list continues to grow every year.

After 3 years of being unable to because of the global pandemic, we finally brought back our Annual Student/Faculty Research Mixer in person this year. With an attendance of over 60 student and faculty participants, we were able to facilitate networking and collaboration to develop and expand student research here at PDM. We hope to carry the excitement and success of our first in-person event since 2019 into years of promoting and diversifying student research here at Penn Dental Medicine.

In this edition of PDM Explorer, you will have the opportunity to see how the students and faculty at PDM embody the mission of the Vernon Brightman Research Society and continue to drive the most cutting-edge advances in the dental profession. We hope to share our passion with you and work further to promote student involvement in research. We thank you for your constant support and hope you enjoy our Winter 2023 edition of PDM Explorer

Sincerely,

THAKORE D’24 VBRS President

Vernon Brightman Research Society Executive Board

The Vernon Brightman Research Society (VBRS) Executive Board members for the current academic year include the following individuals. They invite students with an interest in research to join VBRS.

PRESIDENT: Chintan Thakore D’24 (1)

VICE PRESIDENT: Matthew Hershberger D’24 (2)

TREASURER: Gloria Wan D’24 (3)

SECRETARY: Wendy Lei D’24 (4)

EVENTS DIRECTOR: Srighana Nadella D’25 (5)

OUTREACH COORDINATOR: Pankti Rana D’25 (6)

DIRECTOR OF NEWSLETTER: Simran Grewal D’25 (7)

NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jessica Hao D’26 (8)

D2 REPRESENTATIVE: Teny Odaimi D’25 (9)

D1 REPRESENTATIVES: Issa Elabed (10), Julie Hong (11), Regina Lekumovich (12), Kevin Tao D’26 (13)

VBRS is the primary student research organization at Penn Dental Medicine. Named in honor of Dr. Vernon J. Brightman, a former PDM faculty member and proponent of student research, VBRS has created opportunities and gathered resources for students to help find their niche in research. The society promotes interest, participation, and appreciation of basic and clinical oral health research that keeps dentistry a science and research-based profession. VBRS is PDM’s chapter of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) National Student Research Group. Dr. Kang Ko, Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontics, is the VBRS faculty advisor.

This newsletter highlights students’ research accomplishments, past and upcoming events, and student and faculty interviews.