DENTAL HYGIENE

Janet Kinney

"It's quite an achievement to earn a master's degree from the University of Michigan. But to earn two, and almost at the same time? That's a major achievement, and I'm so proud of what Janet Kinney has accomplished," said Prof. Wendy Kerschbaum, director of the School of Dentistry's dental hygiene program.

This spring, Kinney received her master's degree in dental hygiene. This summer, she received a master's degree in clinical research design and statistical analysis from the School of Public Health.

Studies Interrupted

Kinney was accepted into the School's dental hygiene master's degree program in 1997. But a short time later, she had to postpone her studies and moved with her husband, Steve, who began an overseas work assignment in Switzerland and later in England.

Although she was a dental professional in both countries, Kinney said she had a desire to finish working on her master's degree when she returned to Ann Arbor.

Returning to U-M in 2004, Kinney learned the master's program had been modified to include a clinical research component.

To fulfill that requirement, she worked with Dr. William Giannobile at the School's Michigan Center for Oral Health Research.

At MCOHR, Kinney recruited patients with possible periodontal disease for a saliva test kit Giannobile was developing.

Those efforts fit nicely with what she needed to do to earn a master's degree from the School of Public Health.

Her work was funded with a K30 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The K30 program is designed to attract talented individuals to the challenges of clinical research and to provide them with the critical skills they need to translate basic discoveries into clinical treatments for patients.

No Regrets

Kinney was not only involved in patient-oriented research, but also conducting epidemiologic studies, collecting data, and doing statistical analysis. "It was total immersion," she said with a laugh.

Looking back on her two years in both programs, Kinney said she had no regrets.

Although she jokingly referred to herself as "the guinea pig" for the dental school's clinical research component of the master's program, Kerschbaum described Kinney as "the dental school's poster child."

"Janet's a great role model," Kerschbaum continued. "She has given our dental hygiene students an even better idea of what kinds of possibilities are available to them should they decide to pursue a master's degree."