University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Office of Research and Research Training
Charlotte Mistretta, Associate Dean for Research and Research Training
http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home
The Office of Research and Research Training supports and coordinates research and research
training at the School of Dentistry. Within this office, the Ph.D. Program in Oral Health Sciences
and the Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Program and training grant are supported.
Working with various centers, cores and committees, the Office assists faculty, students and
staff in accomplishing the research mission of the School. Importantly, the Office of Research is
the School’s interface with the Vice President for Research of the University in ensuring
compliance with research policies. For the Ph.D. Program, under the Horace H. Rackham School
of Graduate Studies, there is a direct interface with the Graduate School.
School of Dentistry Support for Research
The Research Committee is an advisory committee chaired by the Associate Dean for Research.
This Committee advises on Research Day, Research Space Guidelines, Research Cores, and
arising University and School of Dentistry research issues.
Research Cores located within the School of Dentistry include the Histology Core, the Micro CT
Core, the Molecular Biology Core and the Animal Facilities. For a list of services and prices
please go to the Office of Research website at
http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home/cores.
The Oral Health Sciences (OHS) Seminar and Journal Club Series is a required course in the
Ph.D. curriculum, open to all members of the School of Dentistry Community. The OHS
Seminar Series is sponsored by the Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Program, the Michigan Center
for Oral Health Research (MCOHR), the NIH-funded T32 Tissue Engineering and Regeneration
Training Grant, the School’s Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Focus Group, and the Oral Health
Promotion and Policy Research Group. These seminars are held on Thursdays at 12 Noon for
the entire School of Dentistry and the University of Michigan science community. The OHS
Journal Club Series is held on Tuesdays at 12 Noon in the Faculty Alumni Lounge (FAL 7th Floor).
For a list of seminars and journal club dates please go to the following link that will be updated
early in September 2011: http://www.dent.umich.edu/phd/home/events.
Training in Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS) is required by federal
grant agencies and the University. Within the School of Dentistry RCRS content is embedded in
the OHS Seminar Series and Journal Clubs, identified as “Culture of Science” events.
Research Day is a yearly event that gives DDS and dental hygiene students, graduate and Ph.D.
students, and post-doctoral fellows the opportunity to present summaries of their research. It
takes place annually in February and features a keynote speaker, research posters and vendor
exhibits.
Research Themes in the School, across basic, translational and clinical research, include:
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Developmental craniofacial
biology
Mineralized tissue biology
Oral and pharyngeal cancer
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Oral infectious and immunologic
diseases
Oral sensory systems and central
circuits
Tissue engineering and regeneration
The thematic groups represent core faculty strength in designated areas of research focus.
The Michigan Center for Oral Health Research (MCOHR) serves the University of Michigan
School of Dentistry, the profession, and the public in the translation of basic knowledge into
new clinical therapies and the evaluation of existing therapies in contexts in which there are
important evidence gaps to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health. The Research Support
Core at MCOHR provides assistance to all researchers at the School of Dentistry with patientoriented research needs. Researchers can peruse available services and choose services on an
as-needed basis. More information can be found at http://www.dent.umich.edu/mcohr/vision.
Research Training at the School of Dentistry
Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees are given several opportunities for research
experiences in the School of Dentistry. These include participation in: 1) DDS Research
Pathways curriculum, 2) Student Research Program, 3) Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Program, 4)
Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant from the NIDCR, NIH, 5) Postdoctoral
Association. All students and trainees conducting research are invited to participate in the
School’s Annual Research Day. Please see the Office of Research and Ph.D. Training website for
additional information on each of these programs.
DDS Pathways. Entering DDS students select a track for their DDS training. Three of the five
tracks have research training opportunities. 1) DDS/OHS Ph.D. Track: During the DDS
application process, students who are interested in the dual degree DDS/OHS PhD Program are
guided through the application and admissions process for this Program. Admitted DDS
students may also select to enter this track at a later time in their curriculum. 2) Research
Track: D-1 students selecting this track for their DDS curriculum will identify a Research Advisor
and will engage in focused research through the D-4 year. 3) Five Year Track: D-1 students
selecting this track have several options for a “one year out” of DDS training. One option
includes conducting research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for up to one year.
The Student Research Program (SRP) is designed to provide a rewarding research experience to
DDS and Dental Hygiene students. This competitive program provides the student with an
insider's perspective so that he/she can more fully appreciate the scientific and technological
advances that influence dental practice. This is currently the last year of this program, since the
NIDCR, NIH no longer funds short term training. We have developed a Research Pathway
experience within our own DDS curriculum.
Office of Research and Research Training, G306, 615-1970 http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home
2/12/2016
The Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Program (OHS), of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies,
trains outstanding students to become advanced research scientists in their field of specific
interest within the oral sciences. A major curriculum goal is to provide students with an
understanding of the functional, structural and molecular properties of the oral region.
Training in OHS prepares dentist scientists who will be strong candidates for faculty positions in
dental schools at major research universities. The program includes basic, translational and
clinical research approaches to important problems concerned with health maintenance or
diseases of the oral facial region. Dual degree programs for the DDS/Oral Health Sciences Ph.D.
and M.S. in a graduate specialty/Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. also are offered (see the DDS
Pathways for additional information on the DDS/OHS Ph.D. Program). For a complete
description of these programs please see the website at
http://www.dent.umich.edu/phd/home.
The Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant (NIDCR, NIH). Tissue Engineering at
Michigan (TEAM) is an interdisciplinary research-intensive training program for trainees who
wish to pursue careers in the oral sciences with a focus in the area of restoration of oral and
craniofacial tissues. It is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
(NIDCR, NIH). http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home/TEAM.
Postdoctoral Association. The University of Michigan Postdoctoral Association represents the
interests and issues of postdoctoral fellows at the University. The School of Dentistry is
committed to augment professional development provided by faculty mentors and provide a
forum to identify and address specific needs and career progression. More information about
the Postdoctoral Association may be found at the following web site:
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/umpda/home
University of Michigan Support for Research
The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) coordinates all of the requirements and
compliance issues for researchers at the University of Michigan. Funding for new and
established investigators and innovative projects is available via applications to the OVPR.
More information can be found at http://www.research.umich.edu/.
The Office of Research in the School of Dentistry provides investigators a direct link and on site
support for issues related to grant applications, research compliance, occupational safety and
health, use of controlled substances in animal research, and protocol submissions to the
University Committee on Use and Care of Animals in research, via the eRAM system.
The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies has funding opportunities available for
Graduate Faculty at the University of Michigan. Information on these can be found at
http://www.rackham.umich.edu/faculty_staff/ . They include Discretionary Funds for Faculty
Support, Faculty Fellowship Enhancement Award, Rackham Faculty Research Grants, and more.
Office of Research and Research Training, G306, 615-1970 http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home
2/12/2016
Contacts in the Office of Research and Research Training:
Dr. Charlotte Mistretta, Associate Dean for Research, can be reached at 615-7324 or
chmist@umich.edu.
Dr. Jan Hu, Director, OHS PhD Program can be reached at 763-6769 or janhu@umich.edu.
Pat Schultz, Manager, can be reached at 764-4726 or pschultz@umich.edu.
Manette London, Project Coordinator, can be reached at 763-3388 or manette@umich.edu.
Kimberly Smith, Administrative Assistant can be reached at 615-7324 or
kimbsmit@umich.edu.
Contacts for the Research Cores:
Animal Facilities: Dr. Barb Emerick can be reached at 763-3398 or bemerick@umich.edu.
Histology: Chris Strayhorn can be reached at 647-4324 or cstray@umich.edu.
Cynthia Zuccaro can be reached at 647-4324 or czucc@umich.edu.
Micro CT: Michelle Lynch can be reached at 615-7631 or malyn@umich.edu.
Molecular Biology: Taocong Jin can be reached at 615-4833 or tcjin@umich.edu.
Other Program contacts:
Dr. Darnell Kaigler is Director of the DDS Research Track. He can be reached at 763-7103 or
dkaigler@umich.edu.
Dr. Daniel Chiego is the Director of the Student Research Program. He can be reached at
763-4258 or djchiego@umich.edu.
Dr. Paul Krebsbach and Dr. David Kohn are the Directors of Tissue Engineering at
Michigan (TEAM). Dr. Krebsbach can be reached at 736-5280 or paulk@umich.edu.
Dr. Kohn can be reached at 764-2206 or dhkohn@umich.edu.
Office of Research and Research Training, G306, 615-1970 http://www.dent.umich.edu/research/home
2/12/2016