AADOCR NSRG Vice-President Candidate 2026-2027
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Graduation Date: 2029
Reasons for Running
My experiences as NSRG Councilor and Member-at-Large have given me valuable insight into how we can support our student members and energized me to continue contributing to NSRG’s mission. During my time on the board, I played a leading role in creating the new Rising Researcher Competition to enhance undergraduate student involvement, and as Chair of the Scientific Group Awards Committee, I am working with the NSRG team and AADOCR board to further expand this award. I also planned and organized the September advocacy webinar, “From Campus to Capital: The Role of Advocacy in Advancing Dental Health.” In addition, I am initiating a pre-competition meeting for 411 finalists to provide guidance and set presenters up for success, and I helped train incoming Regional Representatives (RRs) while developing a rubric and nomination platform to make the Outstanding RR award process more accessible.
As Vice President, I aim to finalize a comprehensive officer guidebook, strengthen coordination among officers and RRs, and expand programming that fosters research, communication, and leadership skills across our student network. I am truly grateful for my NSRG experiences and committed to helping my peers gain the same value from their memberships.
Research Conducted / Student Activities
- Microbial Bouncers: Identifying Microbes That Decide HPV’s Fate in the Mouth (03/2024 - present). Characterizing the oropharyngeal microbiome of HPV+ and HPV- individuals using samples collected at the Minnesota State Fair. The team was recently awarded an internal UMN grant ($28,838) to generate preliminary data for an NIH proposal.
- Binding Specificity and Transcriptional Regulation of Antigen I/II Adhesins in Streptococcus gordonii (09/2022 - present). Investigating interactions between antigen type I/II adhesins and other components of early dental plaque biofilms. Supported by NIH F30 Award #DE033234.
- President, Minnesota Student Research Group (06/2024 - present). Coordinated with the MN Section of AADOCR to plan the 2024 and 2025 Summer Research Exchange events. Collaborate with the Associate Dean for Research and Oral Biology Program on seminar events and student programming.
- Student Coordinator, Minnesota Craniofacial & Oral Health Research Experience (Summer 2023 & 2024). Taught a 9-week long seminar on poster preparation and presentation; served as student-mentor liaison and supported Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program events.
- Scientific Communication Awards: First Place, SCADA Competition in Basic & Translational Science Category (Mar 2025); First Place, UMN School of Dentistry 3-Minute Thesis (Sept 2024).
