Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Faculty and Students Honored
Students and faculty of Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine (CDM) recently were honored for their significant contributions to the fields of dentistry and dental education:
FACULTY HONORS
Jeremy Mao, D.D.S., PH.D., associate professor in the College of Dental Medicine, has been named associate editor of “Stem Cells and Development,” a journal that focuses on stem cells of all tissue types and their potential therapeutic applications. Dr. Mao’s research continues a wide ranging effort at regenerative tissue studies and the creation of replacement tissues. His laboratory recently was awarded a two phase grant from Biomet, Inc. with a $30,000 Phase I award for studying cartilage regeneration. Biomet manufactures total joint prosthesis and other products.
Dr. Mao's laboratory was also recently awarded approximately $120,000 by Bioplant R&D for studying oral and dental regeneration via growth factor and biomaterials approaches. Bioplant R&D is a Connecticut based company focused on the healing of oral and dental defects including dental implants, periodontal disease, ridge augmentation and extraction sockets.
STUDENT HONORS
Three College of Dental Medicine students were selected as American Dental Association Foundation Scholars for the 2006-2007 academic year. Laura Sotomayor (CDM 2009) received a $2,500 ADAF scholarship. Vinette Brown (CDM 2009) and Wayne Stephens (CDM 2009) received $2,500 ADAF Minority Dental Student Scholarships. These nationally competitive awards reflect leadership and scholarship, as well as financial need.
Yunyan Shen (CDM 2008) was honored for presenting one of the most outstanding presentations at the twelfth annual Hinman Student Research Symposium in Memphis, Tennessee. The Symposium featured oral and poster presentations of research projects by dental students and graduate students from across North America. Shen won a basic research award for his research project "Knock Down of Neural Epidermal Growth Factor Like 2 in Wilms' Tumor Cell Line." Ms. Shen's research was directed by Dr. Benjamin Tycko, Associate Professor of Pathology at Columbia University.
Steve Huang, (CDM 2008) was recognized with a 2nd place award for his poster "Infection with a Periodontal Pathogen Up-regulates Inflammatory signals in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells" at the Greater New York Dental Meeting.
Jenny Zhu (Orthodontics, 2007) was awarded a $500 Student Research Award for her work at the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists annual session held in Nassau, Bahamas. The Title of her research project is "Quantification of Osteoclastic Resorption on Bone Slices by Infrared Imaging" and her mentor is Dr. Nancy Pleshko Camacho.