Columbia Dental Medicine Awarded Straumann SUPER Grant to Launch Digital Implantology Competency Hub
The Columbia University College of Dental Medicine has been awarded a Straumann SUPER Grant to support the launch of the Digital Implantology Competency Hub and fellowship program, a pioneering initiative designed to advance education, clinical training, and innovation in digital implant dentistry.
The grant, awarded by Straumann USA, recognizes academic programs that demonstrate excellence in implant education and a strong commitment to preparing the next generation of dental professionals. Straumann’s SUPER Grant program supports dental schools dedicated to advancing knowledge in implant dentistry, digital workflows, and regenerative therapies. The award to Columbia underscores the College’s alignment with these priorities and its broader mission to expand knowledge and improve human welfare through education, discovery, and service.
The new Digital Implantology Competency Hub will integrate advanced digital workflows with clinical care, research, and education. Central to the initiative is a one-year postdoctoral fellowship that will train clinician-innovators in state-of-the-art digital implantology, including virtual diagnostics, computer-assisted surgical planning, guided implant placement, and digitally fabricated prosthetic rehabilitation.
“This grant allows us to build a comprehensive educational and innovation ecosystem that bridges technology, clinical excellence, and
research,” said Seung Jun Song, DMD, MS, assistant professor of Dental Medicine and director of Digital Dental Technologies at CDM, who serves as co-principal investigator on the project. “Our goal is to prepare future leaders in implant dentistry who are fluent in digital workflows and committed to evidence-based, patient-centered care.”
“The Digital Implantology Competency Hub will position Columbia University at the forefront of clinics and education in digital dental technologies in the US. It’s a groundbreaking opportunity for CDM faculty, students and most importantly, patients,” said Irena Sailer, DMD, Dr Med Dent, the grant’s co principal investigator.
Led by Drs. Song and Sailer, the Hub will support multiple layers of engagement across the College. In addition to the postdoctoral fellowship, the initiative will enhance faculty development opportunities, integrate digital implantology training into predoctoral and postdoctoral curricula, and expand continuing education offerings for practicing clinicians.
Fellows participating in the program will gain hands-on experience through a dedicated innovation studio, supervised clinical immersion in implant surgery and prosthetic rehabilitation, and opportunities to lead translational and multicenter research projects. The program also emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together expertise from prosthodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, bioengineering, and computer science.
The Digital Implantology Competency Hub builds on CDM’s longstanding strengths in implant education and patient care. With one of the largest implant training volumes in the region and a deep commitment to the underserved communities in northern Manhattan, CDM is uniquely positioned to link technological innovation with real-world clinical impact.
Beyond the fellowship year, the Song and Sailer envision the Hub as a sustainable model for integrating digital dentistry across educational levels and throughout the profession. By fostering lifelong learning and collaboration, the initiative will strengthen CDM’s role as a leader in digital and translational dental education.
