Each year, the UCSF School of Dentistry hosts a showcase of student and trainee research at our annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day.

More than a milestone, this day exemplifies the School’s research culture—marked by inquiry, collaboration, and the pursuit of new knowledge in oral and craniofacial health.

At this year's event, held on October 8, 2025, more than 300 members of the dentistry community attended, underscoring UCSF Dentistry’s commitment to scientific inquiry and clinical practices that improve patient outcomes.

Learn more about the event here: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/about/news/22nd-annual-research-and-clinical-excellence-day

Key Moments:
00:00:00 - Welcome and Opening Remarks
00:04:32 - Oral Presentations, Morning Session
01:28:31 - Spotlight on Clinical Excellence
01:51:53 - Oral Presentations, Afternoon Session
03:01:02 - Faculty Research Lecturer
03:57:59 - Mentor of the Year Award
04:03:00 - Announcement of Awards and Closing Remarks

Welcome and Opening Remarks
-- Sarah Knox, PhD, Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Research
-- Michael Reddy, DMD, DMSc, Dean and Professor, UCSF School of Dentistry

Oral Presentations, Morning Session
-- Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, DDS, PhD, MPH, MS, Session Chair
-- Dylan Holder (Mentor: Dr. Benjamin Chaffee): “Substance Use and Mental Health Patterns Among LGBTQ+ Adolescents”
-- Jey Kim (Mentor: Dr. Christine Hong): “p75NTR Preserves Architecture and
Chondrogenic Differentiation of Temporomandibular Joint Condyle”
-- Andres Betancourt-Torres (Mentor: Dr. Tamara Alliston): “Chromosomal Sex and Gonadal Sex Independently and Interactively Influence Bone
Structural and Mechanical Properties, Osteocyte Gene Expression, and Osteoarthritis Progression”
-- Danial Pirooz (Mentor: Dr. Fatemeh Momen-Heravi): “SP140 Regulates Macrophage Transcriptomics and Oral Mucosal Homeostasis”
-- Marisa Campain, DDS (Mentor: Dr. Sivappiriyai Veluppillai): “An Old Antibiotic, a New Approach: Topical Doxycycline for Oral Neutropenic Ulcers”
-- Isabelle Lao-Ngo (Mentor: Dr. Akshay Govind): “What is the Incidence of Complications in Nasotracheal Intubations for Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery? “
-- Jake Ngu (Mentors: Dr. Yan Zhang and Dr. Pamela Den
Besten): “Defective enamel maturation in a CFTR conditional knockout mouse model”
-- Kimia Tavassoli (Mentor: Dr. Jean Star): “Piloting Telehealth for Post-Operative Care in Pediatric Dentistry”

Spotlight on Clinical Excellence
-- Diana Nguyen, DDS, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor
Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental
Sciences: “Clinical Education as a Catalyst for Leadership
Development”

Oral Presentations, Afternoon Session
-- Semil Choksi, PhD, Session Chair
-- Luke Lucido (Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Bush): “Nasal pit invagination: a novel morphologic contributor to cleft lip”
-- Deborah Tan (Mentor: Dr. Stefan Habelitz and Dr. Tejal Desai): “Synthesis of Strontium-doped Hydroxyapatite Microparticles for Osteogenic Stimulation and Drug Delivery”
-- Wasif Qayyum, BDS, MSc, PhD (Mentor: Dr. Kamal Al-Eryani): “Floating Teeth: A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of Differential Diagnosis,
Clinical and Radiographic Features”
-- Natalie Naseib (Mentor: Dr. Pamela Den Besten): “Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Mandibular Development in Mice Exposed to Early Life Adversity”
-- Abdullah Althumairi, BDS, MSD (Mentor: Dr. Kamal Al Eryani): “Incidence and Risk Factors for Oral Cancer in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients”
-- Maulik Ahuja (Mentor: Dr. Christine Hong): “Impact of miR 200a Inhibition on Bone Remodeling After Palatal Expansion”
-- Roaa Saadeh (Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Mertz): “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentists' Enrollment in the Medicaid Program in
California”

Faculty Research Lecturer
-- Jeffrey Bush, PhD, Professor, Chair, Department of Cell & Tissue Biology: “Coming together and splitting apart; modeling morphogenesis and congenital disease through live imaging and gene editing"

Mentor of the Year Award
-- Presented by the John C. Greene Society, Ameera Haque, President, and Joshua Chen, Vice President

Announcement of Awards and Closing Remarks
-- Sarah Knox, PhD, Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Research

4


0

On Friday, September 19, the UCSF School of Dentistry's newest class of learners donned their white coats for the first time and officially joined the dental profession.

When: Friday, September 19, 2025 from 6:00–7:30 pm.
Where: Presidio Theatre

16


0

Join us on Friday, June 6, at the Palace of Fine Arts,from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM to commemorate the highest learner achievement at the UCSF School of Dentistry. This momentous occasion marks the beginning of a new chapter for our graduates, who have demonstrated resilience and passion throughout their dental school journey.

32


3

Welcome to the 2025 UCSF School of Dentistry Global Oral Health Symposium. This year’s theme is “Food, Food Systems, and Oral Health.”

List of presenters:
Lisa Schmidt, University of California, San Francisco
Fernanda Rauber, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Joreintje Mackenbach, Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands

2


0

The 21st annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day (RCED), held on October 16, brought together learners, faculty and staff from across the School of Dentistry in celebration of scientific exploration and clinical innovation.

6


0

The 21st annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day (RCED), held on October 16 at UCSF School of Dentistry, brought together learners, faculty and staff from across the School of Dentistry in celebration of scientific exploration and clinical innovation.

4


0

Experience the UCSF School of Dentistry White Coat Ceremony, as we launch the Class of 2028 and IDP Class of 2027 into their transformative dental school journey. Join us on Sept. 27 from 6–7:30 p.m. at San Francisco's historic Presidio Theatre, where tradition converges with modern dentistry in an unforgettable evening.

Download Program: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/white-coat-ceremony-2024

Date and Details
When: 6 – 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 27
Presidio Theatre

28


0

Join us on Friday, June 7, at the Palace of Fine Arts,from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM to commemorate the highest learner achievement at the UCSF School of Dentistry. This momentous occasion marks the beginning of a new chapter for our graduates, who have demonstrated resilience and passion throughout their dental school journey.

34


1

Welcome to the 2024 UCSF School of Dentistry Global Oral Health Symposium. This year’s theme is “Advancing Oral Health Among Indigenous Communities.”

Presentations cover a range of research, care delivery, and educational initiatives to advance oral health and enhance oral health equity among Indigenous communities in Australia and North America.

List of speakers:
Lisa Jamieson, University of Adelaide, Australia (Keynote)
Cathryn Forsyth, University of Sydney, Australia
Herenia Lawrence, University of Toronto, Canada
Maximillion Jensen, Society of American Indian Dentists, USA

1


0