Dental-Biomedical Engineering Scholars Training (D-Best) Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY Columbia University is uniquely positioned to provide advanced dual training of the next generation of dental scientists in dentistry and biomedical engineering, to prepare them to lead the transformation of the daily practice of dentistry towards personalized and precision treatments. Through strategic investment over the last 10 years, Columbia University has become the place for biomedical engineering research training of dentists. The College of Dental Medicine (CDM) has created a new 15,000 sq ft Center for Precision Dentistry that transforms the traditional dental practice into a digitalized hub that tracks clinical activities in real time. Each of the 48 operatories is able to track patients, providers and dental instruments usage and location. In addition, Columbia CDM is one of the first schools in the country to fully integrate dental and medical electronic records through EPIC, which provides an integrated patient’s health record. Moreover, the Department of Biomedical Engineering (DBME), established in 2000, has quickly risen to become one of the top 10 ranked graduate programs in Biomedical Engineering, and leads the nation in funding per faculty, with renowned strength in foundational areas (bioimaging, biomaterials, biomechanics) as well as in frontier research areas (cell and tissue engineering, neuroengineering, synthetic biology and deep learning). We propose here a new Dental-Biomedical Engineering Scholars Training (D-BEST) Program that brings together leading biomedical engineering researchers and dental clinicians and scholars at Columbia University. This unique dual-degree DDS/PhD training program will integrate dental and biomedical engineering research training of dental scientists in four key thematic areas: 1) Stem Cells and Regenerative Engineering, 2) Craniofacial Imaging and Biomechanics, 3) Big Data and Deep Learning for Dental Diagnostics, and 4) Detection and Modeling of Oral Diseases. The two tracks of D-BEST are (i) Pre-Doc – an 8-year dual degree program in dentistry (DDS) and in Biomedical Engineering (PhD), and (ii) Post-Doc – post-doctoral research training in biomedical engineering to US or foreign trained dentists. Over the 5 years, we plan to have 24 pre-doctoral slots and 7 post-doctoral slots with each trainee staying on the grant for 3 years. In addition to the highly successful Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), we are partnering with the School of Dental Medicine at Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico to enhance the diversity of the trainee pool and ensure participation of trainees from traditionally under-represented groups in the D-BEST program. This new T90/R90 training program will provide a unique opportunity to promote, enhance, and deepen multidisciplinary dental research. Our long-term goal, above and beyond this 5-year grant, is to continue with a productive and sustainable program for this integrated training of dental scientists, with expertise rooted in both engineering and dental sciences. It is anticipated that this new generation of dental scientists will lead the creation of personalized solutions to eliminate the persistent poor oral health of adults in this country.