Charlotte M. Mistretta, PhD, Associate Dean for Research and Research Training
chmist@umich.edu, 734-615-7324

Dr. Jan Hu, Director, OHS PhD Program
734-763-6769, email janhu@umich.edu

Pat Schultz, Manager
734-764-4726, email pschultz@umich.edu

Manette London, Project Coordinator
734-763-3388, email manette@umich.edu

The Office of Research and Research Training supports and coordinates research and research training at the School of Dentistry.  Within this office, the Ph.D. Program in Oral Health Sciences and the Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Program and training grant are supported.  Working with various centers, cores and committees, the Office assists faculty, students and staff in accomplishing the research mission of the School.  Importantly, the Office of Research is the School’s interface with the Vice President for Research of the University in ensuring compliance with research policies.  For the Ph.D. Program, under the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, there is a direct interface with the Graduate School.

School of Dentistry Support for Research

Research Committee - advisory committee chaired by the Associate Dean for Research.  This Committee advises on Research Day, research space guidelines, research cores,  U-M and School of Dentistry research issues.

Research Cores

• Histology Core - Chris Strayhorn, 734-647-4324, email cstray@umich.edu.
• Micro CT Core - Michelle Lynch, 734-615-7631, email malyn@umich.edu.
• Molecular Biology Core - Taocong Jin, 734-615-4833, email tcjin@umich.edu.
• Animal Facilities - Dr. Barb Emerick, 734-763-3398, email bemerick@umich.edu.

Oral Health Sciences (OHS) Seminar and Journal Club Series - PhD curriculum required course, open to all members of the School of Dentistry community. 

• The OHS Seminar Series is sponsored by the Oral Health Sciences PhD Program, the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research (MCOHR), the NIH-funded T32 Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant, the School’s Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Focus Group, and the Oral Health Promotion and Policy Research Group.  Seminars are held on Thursdays at 12 noon for the entire School of Dentistry and the University of Michigan science community.
• The OHS Journal Club Series is held on Tuesdays at 12 noon in the Faculty Alumni Lounge (FAL 7^th Floor).
• See list of seminars and journal club dates

Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS) - training is required by federal grant agencies and the University.  Within the School of Dentistry RCRS content is embedded in the OHS Seminar Series and Journal Clubs, identified as “Culture of Science” events.

Research Day - a yearly event that gives DDS and dental hygiene students, graduate and PhD students, and post-doctoral fellows the opportunity to present summaries of their research.  It takes place annually in February and features a keynote speaker, research posters and vendor exhibits. 

Research Themes - The thematic groups represent core faculty strength in designated areas of research across basic, translational and clinical research, including:

• developmental craniofacial biology
• mineralized tissue biology
• oral and pharyngeal cancer
• oral infectious and immunologic diseases
• oral sensory systems and central circuits
• tissue engineering and regeneration

Michigan Center for Oral Health Research (MCOHR) - serves the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, the profession, and the public in the translation of basic knowledge into new clinical therapies and the evaluation of existing therapies in contexts in which there are important evidence gaps to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health.  The Research Support Core at MCOHR provides assistance to all researchers at the School of Dentistry with patient-oriented research needs. Researchers can peruse available services and choose services on an as-needed basis. 

Research Training at the School of Dentistry

Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees are given several opportunities for research experiences in the School of Dentistry.  These include participation in: 

DDS Research Pathways - Entering DDS students select a track for their DDS training. Three of the five tracks have research training opportunities. 1) DDS/OHS Ph.D. Track: During the DDS application process, students who are interested in the dual degree DDS/OHS PhD Program are guided through the application and admissions process for this Program. Admitted DDS students may also select to enter this track at a later time in their curriculum. 2) Research Track: D-1 students selecting this track for their DDS curriculum will identify a Research Advisor and will engage in focused research through the D-4 year. 3) Five Year Track: D-1 students selecting this track have several options for a “one year out” of DDS training. One option includes conducting research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for up to one year.

Student Research Program

Oral Health Sciences PhD Program - The Oral Health Sciences PhD Program (OHS), of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, trains outstanding students to become advanced research scientists in their field of specific interest within the oral sciences.  A major curriculum goal is to provide students with an understanding of the functional, structural and molecular properties of the oral region.  Training in OHS prepares dentist scientists who will be strong candidates for faculty positions in dental schools at major research universities.  The program includes basic, translational and clinical research approaches to important problems concerned with health maintenance or diseases of the oral facial region.  Dual degree programs for the DDS/Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. and M.S. in a graduate specialty/Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. also are offered (see the DDS Pathways for additional information on the DDS/OHS Ph.D. Program).  For a complete description of these programs please see the website at http://www.dent.umich.edu/phd/home.

Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant (NIDCR, NIH) -  Tissue Engineering at Michigan (TEAM) is an interdisciplinary research-intensive training program for trainees who wish to pursue careers in the oral sciences with a focus in the area of restoration of oral and craniofacial tissues.  It is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR, NIH).  Dr. Paul Krebsbach (734-736-5280, email paulk@umich.edu) and Dr. David Kohn (734-764-2206, email dhkohn@umich.edu) are the Directors of TEAM.

Postdoctoral Association -  The University of Michigan Postdoctoral Association represents the interests and issues of postdoctoral fellows at the University. The School of Dentistry is committed to augment professional development provided by faculty mentors and provide a forum to identify and address specific needs and career progression. More information about the Postdoctoral Association may be found at the following web site: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/umpda/home

University of Michigan Support for Research

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) coordinates all of the requirements and compliance issues for researchers at the University of Michigan.  Funding for new and established investigators and innovative projects is available via applications to the OVPR.   More information can be found at http://www.research.umich.edu/.

The Office of Research in the School of Dentistry provides investigators a direct link and on site support for issues related to grant applications, research compliance, occupational safety and health, use of controlled substances in animal research, and protocol submissions to the University Committee on Use and Care of Animals in research, via the eRAM system.

The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies has funding opportunities available for Graduate Faculty at the University of Michigan.  Information on these can be found at http://www.rackham.umich.edu/faculty_staff/ .  They include Discretionary Funds for Faculty Support, Faculty Fellowship Enhancement Award, Rackham Faculty Research Grants, and more.