University of Iowa Institutional Training Program in Oral Health Research

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Project Summary This competitive renewal application proposes to continue our program to provide comprehensive, integrated training in dental and craniofacial research at the University of Iowa (UI) to a cohort of basic, clinical, and translational researchers and dental scholars. It will provide dentists and non-dentists with a comprehensive skillset to meet the challenges of oral health research in academia for the 21st century. Outstanding interdisciplinary didactic training and rigorous research mentoring will emphasize ongoing review and critique. The proposed program builds on 37 years of research training success, with several major enhancements listed briefly below. The program addresses 7 major research training areas: 1) Craniofacial, Oral Biology, Genetics, and Dental Development; 2) Bioengineering, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells, Biomaterials, and Materials; 3) Immunology, Inflammation, Microbiology, Caries, and Microbiome; 4) Oral Cancer; 5) Public Health, Epidemiology, and Behavioral Sciences; 6) Oral Health Policy; and 7) Clinical, Translational, and Big Data Research, reflecting the strengths of the College of Dentistry, UI health science colleges, and collaborative institutes and centers. Trainees in the proposed program will pursue a PhD in Oral Science (or in one of the 13 other affiliated PhD programs) or a post-doctoral fellowship. In addition, trainees now will be able to obtain a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching, Biostatistics, or Translational and Clinical Investigation or an MS in Dental Public Health. The T90 will support 4 non-dentist predocs and 2 dentists for the PhD (3 years each) and 1 non-dentist postdoc (2 years). The R90 component reflects the importance international dentists have in U.S. oral health research programs and will support 2 dentists for the PhD (3 years each). A group of 28 experienced program faculty from a variety of disciplines is available to mentor trainees. The success of our program over the past 4+ years is seen in 5 trainees receiving F- or K-awards since 2019 and trainees’ successful career placement. To build on this success, we propose several improvements/new major components of this Oral Health Research Institutional Training Program. The successful Grant-Writing Workshop Series has been updated and enhanced. Additionally, we propose several new programs, including ones in Research Rigor, Research Leadership Development, and Interdisciplinary Faculty Mentoring. Training will be supervised by the experienced Director and Associate Director and implemented in concert with a Faculty Leadership Team. Several committees will support the program: internal and external advisory committees, importantly a Committee on Recruitment and Diversity, and other component-specific committees. In summary, the program brings together productive, well-funded mentors with pre- and post-doctoral trainees in an environment with a strong institutional commitment, outstanding interdisciplinary research training in relevant disciplines, and excellent educational and research facilities. The outcome will be a cadre of oral health researchers ready to function at the cutting edge of their disciplines.