Wong Receives IADR/Philips Oral Healthcare Young Investigator Research Award

Sing-Wai Wong, DDS, MS, PhD, second-year periodontology resident, is the 2020 recipient of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Philips Oral Healthcare Young Investigator Research Award. The award is sponsored by Philips Oral Healthcare and awarded by the IADR Periodontal Research Group.
The $10,000 award provides seed funding for a post-doctoral student who is within 12-months of successfully completing a PhD and wishes to establish an independent program of research.
“It is an incredible honor to receive this prestigious research award,” said Wong. “This award will provide an excellent opportunity to establish my independent research project for my academic career and will help me build up a global research network.”
In his research, Wong will be investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie periodontal inflammation. He will collaborate with two internationally recognized scientists, Gustavo Garlet, DDS, MS, PhD, and Larissa Cunha, PhD, from the School of Dentistry Bauru and the Ribeirão Preto Medical School at the University of São Paulo, respectively.
Wong will also be mentored by Associate Dean for Discovery and Innovation, Shannon Wallet, PhD, Patricia Miguez, DDS, MS, PhD, Jennifer Martinez, PhD, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Niki Moutsopoulos, DDS, PhD, from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
“Sing is a rising star vis-à-vis the numerous awards he has received for his scholarly work,” said Chair of the Division of Comprehensive Oral Health, Cristiano Susin, DDS, MS, PhD. “The IADR Philips Oral Healthcare Young Investigator Award will expand his research portfolio and allow him to engage an incredible team of mentors. We are all very proud of his accomplishments and growth.”
This is the second time a student from the UNC Adams School of Dentistry has won this prestigious international award. Matthew Mason, DDS, PhD, MS, was the 2017 recipient of the IADR/Philips Oral Healthcare Young Investigator Research Grant.
Wong is a graduate of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry’s Oral and Craniofacial Biomedicine PhD program. He was a 2018 awardee of the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence, 2019 AADR Hatton Award competition finalist, Southern Academy of Periodontology Pennel Competition winner, American Academy of Periodontology Balint Orban Competition winner, and received the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation‘s $25,000 Educator Scholarship last year.