AADOCR NSRG Graduate Student Representative Candidate 2027-2028
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Boston, MA
Graduation Date: 2029
Reasons for Running
As a current Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) and Periodontology resident at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, I am deeply committed to a career in academia and research. While many distinguished dental academicians with DMSc backgrounds have contributed to AADOCR - including current AADOCR/IADR CEO Dr. Christopher Fox (Perio DMSc 1991) - I am honored to be the first DMSc student to serve on the NSRG Board as a Regional Representative. Building on this milestone, I now hope to serve as the Graduate Student Representative to bridge dental students, residents, and graduate trainees through mentorship, collaboration, and shared academic growth.
From leading research initiatives as a dental student at Case Western to pursuing residency in Harvard Periodontics, my journey has been profoundly shaped by the support of AADOCR and IADR, which have enable me to share my work on the national stage and receiving the SCADA Award. As the Northeast Regional Representative, I have the honor to recruit and serve student members interested in exploring dental research, while continuing to advocate for the AADOCR student community. Building on this foundation, I aim to organize webinars on academic pathways, foster peer mentorship, and advocate for women in science. My goal is to bridge clinical practice and research, inspiring the next generation of dental academicians.
Research Conducted / Student Activities
My academic journey involves research across various disciplines, from basic science to translational studies across institutions in the UK and U.S. My research has been published in various high impact journals such as Nature Communications and Science Advances.
Full Publication List: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0Gx07EAAAAAJ&hl=en
Some Research Highlights:
1. Precision periodontology using artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML)
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 2025-Present
Integrate large-scale clinical trial data, EHR and multi-omics datasets and develop predictive ML models (including recurrent neural networks) to forecast individual patient responses to periodontal treatment.
2. Periodontal and Gastrointestinal Bacteria in Inflammation
DMD Research, 2023-2025
Investigating how periodontal and gut bacteria affect host inflammation in Crohn’s Disease mouse model.
Awards: Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Student Research Fellowship, Guenther M. Hans Award, Hinman Award
3. Oral Co-infection and KSHV in HIV Patients
DMD Research, 2021-2023
Explored HIV-associated extracellular vesicles’ impact on KSHV infection in tonsil cells.
Award: SCADA Student Representative Award
4. Single-Cell Transcriptomics in Inner Ear Development
Research Technician, Creighton University, 2019-2021
Developed single-cell RNA-seq protocol to study cochlear cell populations and gene networks in hearing loss.
Publications: One first-author and multiple co-author peer-reviewed papers
5. Neurocardiology and the Cardiac Conduction System
Master’s Thesis, University of Oxford, 2018-2019
Led single-cell RNA sequencing research identifying catecholaminergic cardiomyocytes involved in cardiac conduction.
Publication: Co-author in Nature Communications
Student activity:
1. AADOCR NSRG Northeast Regional Representative, 2025 - Present
2. Vice President, CWRU Student Dental Research Club, 2023 - 2025
3. Executive Board, Cleveland Student-Run Health Clinic, 2022 - 2025
4. President, CWRU Chinese Student Dental Association Club, 2022 – 2025
5. Secretory, CWRU Dental Photograph Club, 2021 – 2022
