RESEARCH

Dr. Nan Hatch won two first-place Hatton Awards earlier this year for her research. The award is the preeminent dental research award given annually to students and postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Nan Hatch, a postdoctoral research fellow and a junior faculty member in the School's Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, won two first-place Hatton Awards earlier this year for her work at the U-M School of Dentistry.

The award is the preeminent dental research award given annually to students and postdoctoral fellows.

Hatch won first prize in the postdoctoral category for her research presentation during the annual session of the American Association for Dental Research. She also qualified to compete in the international competition against researchers from around the world, and then won first place during the International Association for Dental Research. This was the first time in eight years that someone from the U-M School of Dentistry won both first-place awards. Dr. Jacques Nör won both awards in 1999.

Hatch's research focuses on fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling in bone mineralization and craniofacial development.

FGF signaling has long been known to play a crucial role in skeletal and craniofacial development, yet the mechanism by which these factors cause changes in bone formation has yet to be fully understood. It's associated with craniosynostosis, a debilitating clinical condition characterized by abnormal craniofacial development of the facial skeleton and skull.

"The long-term goal of this research is to try and develop novel diagnostic approaches and biologic therapeutics to treat patients with craniofacial abnormalities," she said.

Hatch received her DMD from Harvard in 1999, an orthodontic certificate from the University of Washington three years later, and a PhD in molecular and cell biology from U-W in 2005. She then came to Michigan for a full-time academic position as a junior faculty member and postdoctoral research fellow. She also treats patients one-half day each week in the orthodontic clinic.