Dentistry research gain
Looking at a decade of research growth at the The School of Dentistry has spent the last decade building a strong research portfolio that is core to moving oral health research forward while enhancing access to care. The school has increased its number of graduate students, established core research units and increased grant funding by building a strong academic knowledge base that has expanded its footprint directly in our community. “Existing and new faculty are expanding their research portfolio and changing the culture of research in our school,” says Maryam Amin, professor and associate chair of research at the School of Dentistry. “Over the last 10 years, our research has gained attention on the national and international stage. We are seeing a huge increase in the quality and quantity of graduate student applications, which shows that we are standing out against other universities.” Research Units The school has established three distinct research units – Educational Research & Scholarship Unit (ERSU), Biomedical Oral & Maxillofacial Research Unit (BOMRU) and the Applied Oral Health Research Unit (AOHRU). Each of these units and the expert researchers within these units focus on advancing oral health knowledge and care in clinical treatment, oral healthrelated diseases and the delivery of dental education. Research is being conducted in the areas of craniofacial development, oral cancer, inflammatory conditions, COVID-19, immunology, dental materials, biomechanics, 8
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
clinical research, population- and community-based research, and fosters educational research scholarship.
“Establishing these research units promotes collaboration,” says Amin, adding it creates a community of exchanging research expertise and ideas. “The units help bring all the people in the same area of interest together, making everyone aware of what they are investigating and most often, raising opportunities of collaboration and mentorship. For junior faculty, the units allow for shared resources, which is very important.” Endowed Chairs With the support of the Alberta Dental Association & College (ADA&C), the school created two endowed chairs in oral health and dental research. With a joint commitment to generation, translation and utilization of research, these endowed chairs will lead to advancing the dental profession and acquisition of new knowledge in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Dentistry research will lead to increased knowledge in the areas of treatment and dental care delivery. The impact of this research will contribute to cost containments, improved quality of care as well as an understanding of barriers to access to care. Daniel Graf, associate professor in the Division of Foundational Sciences, holds the ADA& C Oral Health Research Endowed Chair and Maryam Amin, professor in the division of pediatric dentistry, holds the ADA&C Dental
Research Endowed Chair. The establishment of the research endowed chairs is one of the ways the School of Dentistry is able to achieve and further its academic mission, develop new research initiatives and opportunities for the achievement of excellence nationally and internationally.
Research funds Several of our faculty members hold long term Tri-Council Grants including CIHR Foundation Scheme Grants and NSERC Discovery grants. In addition, our faculty have been co-investigators on a number of Tri-Council grants and other 18 external grants since 2018. From 2016 to 2020, the school has raised a total of approximately $12.7M with $3.9M raised towards research and innovation. The school has 16 endowment funds and resources supporting research projects and students including the Fund for Dentistry, Sperber Fund, School of Dentistry Education Research Fund, Oral Health Community Engagement Fund, and Dental Hygiene Graduate Research Fund. “Our increase in external and internal funding over the last decade shows our school is being recognized for its leading role in conducting quality and impactful research,” says Amin. “Our increase in endowment funding shows our community and alumni support our research. This endowment gives new investigators the chance to build a research program and bridge funding. Our alumni support reiterates that alumni recognize the school as a centre for conducting oral health research and that
