Short-Term Fellowships

DDS Short Term Fellowships

DDS student research fellowships are provided to promote involvement through individual projects under the direction of faculty mentors.

Each fellowship consists of:

  • $750 Stipend for the student investigator
  • $750 Research Expenditures Allocation for the project mentor, according to a detailed budget that will accompany the application (Allowable expenses include research supplies, consumables, reagents, core services, consultant fees, participant incentives, poster printing, etc.)
  • $1500 Travel Allocation for the student investigator to support presentation of findings to a scientific or professional meeting (up to $1,750 with appropriate justification and contingent on availability of funds). Student registration to IADR/AADOCR can be covered from this travel allocation.

Proposals should be submitted to Office of Research, Discovery and Innovation.

Five fellowships were awarded in the 2022-23 school year. Congratulations!

2022-2023 Awardees and Mentors

Awardee: Bijan Mahboubi
Project Title: Optimization of AAV Vector Mediated Gene Transfer to Salivary Glands
Mentor: Chengwen Li

Awardee: Sylvette Ramos-Diaz
Project Title: Analysis of Efficacy of the Hispanic Oral health Prevention & Education (H.O.P.E.) Program
Mentor: Apoena Ribeiro

Awardee: Bree Smith
Project Title: Machine Learning-Based Re-Appraisal of Caregivers’ Health Literacy and Children’s Oral Health
Mentor: Jessica Lee

Awardee: Olivia Tumsuden
Project Title: Evaluating Impacts of Class III Dentofacial Disharmony and its Surgical Correction on Vowel Production
Mentor: Laura Jacox

Awardee: Nishma Vias
Project Title: Evaluation of Signature Biomarker Profiles for Periodontal Disease Subgroups
Mentor: Julie Marchesan

2021-2022 Awardees and Mentors

Awardee: Caroline Allbert
Project Title: Spectral Characteristics of Speech in Children with Repaired Cleft Palate
Mentor: David Zajac

Awardee: Carolyn Collins
Project Title: The Antimicrobial Efficacy of Silver Nanoparticles
Mentor: Roland Arnold

Awardee: Mustafa Girnary
Project Title: Print Quality of Resin Patterns on Different 3D Printers
Mentor: Ingeborg De Kok

Awardee: Katherine Grant
Project Title: Evaluation of fir based on Margin Design for 3D Printed Crown Patterns
Mentor: Wendy Clark

Awardee: Kamaira Philips
Project Title: Influence of abrasive strips finishing/polishing technique on biofilm adherence in Bulk-Fill composite resins
Mentor: Apoena Ribeiro

Awardee: Neal Quinn
Project Title: Evaluation of Mechanical Strength of 3D Printed Resin Crowns
Mentor: Wendy Clark

Awardee: Davied Sanchez
Project Title: Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Rapid Prototyping of Skeletal Muscle
Mentor: Rishma Shah

Awardee: Jared Sobo
Project Title: New Aged Tricalcium Silicates Discoloration of Dentin
Mentor: Taseer Sulaiman

Awardee: Nishma Vias
Project Title: Characterization of Biomarker Profiles for Periodontal Disease Classes
Mentor: Julie Marchesan

Awardee: Mylan Young
Project Title: MicroRNA Profiling in Patients with External Cervical Resorption
Mentor: Rishma Shah

Awardee: Emily Nan Stalling
Project Title: Effect of Ultrasound Application on the Surface roughness of Glass Ionomer
Mentor: Bert Vasconcellos

Awardee: Arlet Montes Sanchez
Project Title: Hispanic Oral health Prevention and Education Program
Mentor: Apoena Ribeiro

Awardee: Raven Selden
Project Title: Evaluating Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Anxiety in Pediatric Dental Patients
Mentor: Laura Jacox

2019-2020 Awardees and Mentors

Awardee: Babak Yousefi
Project Title: Molecular Characterization of Irreversible Pulpitis
Mentor: Ashraf Fouad

Awardee: Adam Hoxie
Project Title: MicroCT as Reference for ICDA and QLF-D Activity Exams
Mentor: Apeona Ribiero

Awardee: Mustafa Girnary
Project Title: Caspase-1 Inhibition Decreases Alevolar Bone Loss
Mentor: Julie Marchesan

Awardee: Monica Kim
Project Title: Engaging Effective Student Communication Skills
Mentor: Kate Ciarrocca

Awardee: Koby Martin
Project Title: Sex Impact of Caspase-1 in Experimental Periodontitis
Mentor: Julie Marchesan

Awardee: Zachary Burke
Project Title: Prevalence and Genetic Determinants of Enamel Defects
Mentor: Kimon Divaris

Awardee: Hudson Spangler
Project Title: Real-time 3D Modeling for Chairside Patient Education
Mentor: Kimon Divaris

Awardee: Scott V. Phillips
Project Title: Determining the Biological Boundaries of Tooth Movement
Mentor: Tung Nguyen

Awardee: Colin Laprade
Project Title: Tomosynthesis Proximal Contact Imaging Study
Mentor: Angela Broome

Awardee: Pegah Khosravi-Kamrani
Project Title: Characterizing Class Ill Subtypes and Treatment Modes
Mentor: Sylvia Frazier-Bowers

Awardee: Blaine Radley
Project Title: Molecular Analysis of Tooth Eruption Disorders
Mentor: Sylvia Frazier-Bowers

Awardee: Ian R Stewart
Project Title: s-IOT and Transillumination in the Detection of Proximal Caries
Mentor: Angela Broome

2018-2019 Awardees and Mentors

Awardee: Hannah Randall
Project Title: Dental Fracture Detection Using Advanced Image Analysis
Mentor: Andre Mol

Awardee: Marla O’Neal
Project Title: Clinical Outcomes of Permanent Teeth Treated with SDF
Mentor: Andrea Zandona/Rick Walter

Awardee: Danielle Burgess
Project Title: Herpesviruses and Periodontitis in HIV Populations
Mentor: Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque

Awardee: Babak Yousefi
Project Title: microRNA Profiles in a Rodent Model of Pulpitis
Mentor: Asma Khan

Awardee: Nathan Yip
Project Title: Association of Endodontic Infections and Type 2 Diabetes
Mentor: Ashraf Fouad

Awardee: Ryan Gross
Project Title: YouTube: Peer Tutoring in Dental Education
Mentor: Ashraf Fouad

Awardee: Shawn Dua
Project Title: Novel Interprofessional Virtual Clinic for JIA Patients
Mentor: Shaun Matthews

Awardee: Dani Fox
Project Title: Dental Fracture Detection Using Advanced Image Analysis
Mentor: Asma Khan

2017-2018 Awardees and Mentors

Awardee: Ryan Kearney
Project Title: 10 Years of Alveolar Bone Grafting in Cleft Patients at UNC
Mentor: Rishma Shah

Awardee: Brittany Spruiell
Project Title: Craniofacial Characterization of Marfan Syndrome
Mentor: Sylvia Frazier-Bowers

Awardee: Daniel Wade Townsend
Project Title: Examination of Trends in Pediatric Dental Treatment
Mentor: Andrea Zandona

Awardee: Korry Tauber
Project Title: Development of a Word Recognition Survey to Test Orthodontic Oral Health Literacy: ORTHO-30
Mentor: Tate Jackson

Awardee: Donna Lynn Thomas
Project Title: Orthodontic Root Resorption in Short Root Anomaly
Mentor: Sylvia Frazier-Bowers