Student Researchers Share Projects at Summer Research Fellowship Presentations

 The newest generation of student researchers at the Columbia College of Dental Medicine (CDM) has already begun to contribute to the dental profession. 

Last spring, 19 first-year Columbia CDM students were awarded research program funding through the competitive Summer Research Fellowship Program, an initiative that “gives participants the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of basic, clinical and translational research and encourages them to consider research-related careers.”  And this fall, each of the 19 now second-year dental students presented their work on topics ranging from fibrocartilaginous tissue regeneration to language barriers in dental care, from diagnostic criteria for oral dysplasia to biomarkers for immune checkpoint blockades. 

Through mid-March of first year of dental school, the students attended informational sessions about the program; met with Dr. Carol Kunzel, Director of Research at the College of Dental Medicine; and identified prospective mentors and projects. (All mentors in the Summer Research Fellowship Program are experienced, full-time faculty investigators.) 

Students can take the opportunity to conduct research that expands on the current research of a mentor, or they can devise a new research project with approval from a mentor. “Mentor identification is key to a successful application to the Summer Research Fellowship,” explains Dr. Kunzel—and students have a lot of options. “We ask that students work with a full-time faculty mentor, but we do not put any restrictions on where that mentor might be located in terms of school, department or division at Columbia,” says Dr. Kunzel. This year, students worked with faculty mentors in departments of dental behavioral science, dental public health, pathology and cell biology, clinical genetics and genomics, microbial sciences and more. 

This past summer, the students worked on their projects approximately 35 to 40 hours per week for eight weeks. Some of the projects wrapped up during that time, while others are ongoing. No matter where their projects stood, however, the students presented their Summer Research Fellowship Program projects to their mentors, to Dr. Kunzel and Dr. Christian S. Stohler, Dean of the Columbia CDM—and to one another. 

Though the presentations are over, the students’ engagement with research is anything but. The William Jarvie Research Society, the Columbia chapter of the American Association of Dental Research National Student Research Group, maintains a very rich research landscape for dental students at CDM. These 19 students will write abstracts for potential publication in the Jarvie Journal. All CDM students with abstracts in the Jarvie will prepare poster presentations for the Birnberg Research Program, a day-long event planned for April 7, 2020 that is the highlight of the research year at CDM. After Birnberg, some project presentations may move on to national professional meetings.

An additional, valuable outcome of this program is that participating students are now involved with the very active student research programs at CDM. In the coming semesters, many of them will have the opportunity to connect with funding opportunities at Columbia and through state, national, and international associations, academies and institutes. They are likely to participate in journal discussions, attend lectures by eminent researchers and otherwise ensure that when the Jarvie Society celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, it’s continuing CDM’s proud tradition of research and innovation.