Summer Dental Research Program

The School of Dental Medicine is a nationally recognized center for dental research. Students who take advantage of research opportunities become far more knowledgeable of their profession regardless of whether or not they choose a career in dental research.

Participation in research:

• Encourages critical review and analysis of scientific design — skills crucial to the development of clinical competence in diagnosing and treating patients
• Provides insight into additional career alternatives; some participants have chosen to pursue careers in academic dentistry following their research
• Allows students to interact and work with faculty under more informal circumstances; many students work with a single faculty member on research in a specific area that extends over three or four years
• May lead to publication of research in scientific literature, as well as travel for presentation of data at national and international meetings

Identify and contact mentor (be persistent)

Write a research proposal with that individual

• Attain IACUC or IRB approval if needed

Submit proposal for review (success greater than 90%)

Spend 5/6 weeks doing summer research

• wet lab or clinical data analyses
• attend weekly research seminar (every Tuesday)
• present work at biomedical research retreat (optional, end of summer)
• present at the annual SDM Student Research Day (mandatory, held the following spring)
• encouraged to present at scientific meetings (AADOCR, AAO, AAP)