69th Birnberg Award and Symposium Highlights Research Shaping the Future of Patient Care
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) hosted its 69th annual Birnberg Award and Research Symposium on April 8, 2026. The day began with a lecture by Dr. Clark Hung, who received the Birnberg Award for his leadership of the Columbia NOVAjoint project and its work toward developing a “living knee replacement.” Established by the CDM Alumni Association in the early 1950s, the award was created to encourage student engagement in research. Following the lecture, 46 pre- and post-doctoral students presented their research to the CDM community. The symposium reflected the defining features of research at CDM: collaboration across disciplines, the integration of medical and dental care, and an understanding of oral health as part of overall health.
“Engaging in research as a dental student is vital; it provides a deeper understanding of the clinical implications of our work,” said Debbie Malekan, whose project investigated alveolar bone loss and its implications for mitigating the effects of generalized aging. “Staying active in research ensures you are at the forefront of dental innovation rather than just observing it.” Across projects, students described research as central to how they learn and approach patient care.
The student research journey at CDM begins at their D1 orientation, where Dr. Chang Lee, associate professor of craniofacial engineering and director of research, provides an overview of how to get involved. From the start, students are encouraged to be curious and take initiative. As Lee tells students, “Think about your undergraduate background and what interests you, then reach out to faculty at Columbia. They are supportive of students exploring their interests.”
The collaborative nature of student research extends across Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), from the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center to the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Subin Lee, whose project used a zebrafish model to investigate how the timing and organization of tissue repair influence craniofacial ligament regeneration, described working with the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative as especially rewarding. “Being in that environment allowed me to work alongside researchers outside dentistry,” she said. “It highlighted how interconnected everything is.”
This kind of collaboration made possible the wide range of research presented at the symposium, spanning tissue regeneration and rare disease therapeutics to behavioral health and population-level studies.
“Being able to accurately measure hnRNPH2 protein levels helps us understand whether the therapy is working and could help establish a framework for studying and treating similar genetic disorders,” said Anna Jonczyk, who won first place in the biomedical sciences category. She is working on a first-in-human clinical trial for HNRNPH2-related disorder, an ultra-rare X-linked genetic condition, developing an assay to detect hnRNPH2 protein levels in patient samples following treatment with an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy.
Kayla Crowley, who also won first place in the biomedical sciences category, focused on engineering a mature, fully human temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc using 3D-printed scaffolds and human synovial mesenchymal stem cells. Crowley said the work demonstrates how moving away from animal models can “reduce interspecies variability, enable more personalized approaches to treatment, and gain a more accurate understanding of tissue crosstalk in temporomandibular joint disorders.” The project aimed to create tissue that closely resembles the native human TMJ disc in both structure and composition.
These projects also reflected a broader focus on patient populations whose needs are often overlooked or undertreated. Kathryn Jones, who won first place in the social, behavioral, and educational category, examined treatment approaches for burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in postmenopausal women, focusing on both intraoral and mood-related symptoms. She said she hoped her presentation “underscored the significant burden BMS places on patients and highlighted the need for greater awareness and continued research into this under-recognized condition.” With no official treatment guidelines currently available, her project aimed to help clinicians better understand potential therapeutic strategies.
“Dentists are crucial in identifying signs of psychiatric conditions that manifest in the oral cavity,” said Chloe Stacks, who won third place in the social, behavioral, and educational category. Her research examined how psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders affect dental anxiety and perceptions of dental providers. Preliminary findings showed that patients reporting these conditions experienced higher rates of dental anxiety and visited the dentist less frequently than those without them, pointing to the need for greater psychiatric awareness in dental education and patient care. Stacks said she hopes her research highlights “the need for direct referral pathways between psychiatry and dentistry.”
That broader focus on behavior and perception also shaped the work of Odette Castillo. “Research has reinforced my interest in combining clinical dentistry with broader public health and policy work,” Castillo said. Her research examined the growing use of oral nicotine pouches among dental and predental students, exploring who is using these products and why, particularly as they are increasingly marketed and perceived as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products. “It’s shown me that dentistry isn’t just about treating individual patients, but also about understanding patterns at the population level.”
For many students, the projects presented at the symposium reflect the kind of impact they hope to make as future clinicians. Harsh Chheda, who won third place in the biomedical sciences category and is a two-time Birnberg Award winner for his work using CRISPR activation to promote periodontal ligament regeneration, hopes approaches like epigenetic editing can one day shift periodontal disease treatment from management toward reversal. “Research has made me want to be a clinician who stays involved in innovation rather than just following existing protocols,” he said. “I see myself combining clinical practice with research to help bring new ideas into patient care.”
Award Winners
Biomedical Sciences
1st place Kayla Crowley
1st place Anna Jonczyk
2nd place Harsh Chheda
Social, Behavioral, and Educational
1st place Kathryn Jones
2nd place Kayla Thomsen
3rd place Chloe Stacks
Postdoctoral
1st place Dr. Erika Denour Nations, DDS