Student Research Day
Student Research Day brings the entire UBSDM community together to actively explore and showcase the groundbreaking research happening in the school.
Each year, students presenting their research at this event benefit from interaction with a panel of faculty judges. This experience of talking with the judges and receiving advice is designed to help students advance their careers in research.
2025 Student Research Day
Student Research Day was held on Feb. 20, 2025, in UB's Center for the Arts. This year, we featured 68 poster presentations by students at all academic levels, including undergraduates, predocs, advanced education students and postdoctoral fellows. Please refer to the list below for the names of the award winners.
UB Undergraduate Students
- POC Smiles Award supported by Academic Affairs: Jorge Ortega
Dental Students
- AADOCR/Dentsply Sirona SCADA*: Zofia Rozmus
- Hinman Student Research Symposium Award*: Barinder Singh
- James English Award for Predoctoral Students: Jennifer Okewunmi
- UB School of Dental Medicine, Department of Oral Biology Award: Jooyoung James Lee
- Maryanne Mather Clinical Research Award (Predoc)*: Julianna Castle
- Frank A. Scannapieco Oral Biology Research Award: Emily Genovesi
Master’s Students
- James English Award for Advanced Education and/or MS Students: Dam Soh
Doctoral Students
- James English Award for PhD Students: Sheta Biswas
- Ernest J. Hausmann Oral Biology PhD Research Award: Theresa Wrynn
Clinical Residents
- Russell J. Nisengard Advanced Programs Research Award: Hosam Zebda
- Maryanne Mather Clinical Research Award*: David Feere
Clinical Fellows, Volunteer Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows
- UB School of Dental Medicine Award (Postdoc): Lu Li
All Presenters
- Paul Ziarnowski Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research: Andrew Jiang
- AADOCR Student Research Day Award*: Christian Ahearn
*indicates travel award
William Giannobile, DDS, MS, DMSc, Dean and A. Lee Loomis, Jr. Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection & Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
William Giannobile is dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and A. Lee Loomis Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at Harvard University. He received his DDS and MS in Oral Biology from the University of Missouri. He later received his Certificate in Periodontology and Doctor of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology from Harvard University. He completed postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Genoa Medical School Biotechnology Institute, Sapienza University of Rome, and the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London.
Dr. Giannobile’s continuously NIH-funded research program over the past 30 years has focused on oral and periodontal regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and precision medicine. He currently serves as co-principal investigator to the NIH/NIDCR-supported Michigan-Pittsburgh-Wyss Regenerative Medicine Resource Center. The goal of the center is to translate early-stage dental, oral and craniofacial reconstructive technologies into clinical practice. He has produced over 300 manuscripts, textbook chapters, and patents focused on periodontology, regenerative medicine, and oral health research. He is the editor or co-editor of over 10 books focused on clinical, translational research, periodontology and regenerative medicine. Dr. Giannobile served as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International Association for Dental Research, from 2010-20. Dr. Giannobile has served as a consultant to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for dental devices since 2006.
Dr. Giannobile received the American Dental Association’s Gold Medal for Excellence in Dental Research in 2024 and the Norton Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research in 2018. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Academy of Periodontology, International Association for Dental Research, and the EFP International Eminence in Periodontology Award. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Dental Research, and the International and American Colleges of Dentists. He is a past president of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation and the Osteology Foundation.
In addition to his administrative and teaching responsibilities, he practices periodontics and implant dentistry at the Harvard Dental Center in Cambridge, MA.