Two GSDM Faculty Elected to Prominent Positions within IADR Scientific Network
Dr. Woosung Sohn, and new Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) faculty member, Dr. Astha Singhal, were recently elected to prominent leadership positions within the International Association of Dental Research’s (IADR) Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Network (GOHIRN). Their three-year terms in these roles are effective as of July 2015 and will continue through the 96th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR which will take place in London, United Kingdom in July 2018.
The mission of IADR Networks is to bring together dental researchers from multiple disciplines in order to study a particular scientific topic or idea. The GOHIRN acts as an organized supportive platform for its members, who share the goal of addressing issues related to oral health inequalities on a global scale. The aims of this network include the stimulation and promotion of research, encouraging interactions within the wider health community as well as fostering interdisciplinary collaborations among different kinds of institutions such as schools, health centers and non-profit organizations interested in global oral health inequalities in research.
Dr. Sohn, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Director of the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Dental Public Health, was elected to the position of Regional North American Councilor. Regional Councilors serve as a point of contact in their region through which information about the implementation of the GOHIRN action plan can be channeled. This appointment will involve interaction with relevant regional and local initiatives on health inequalities and updating the GOHIRN website and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Dr. Sohn will also assist in the planning and organization of IADR conferences, including the 2016 AADR/CADR Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California, and the 2016 IADR/APR General Session in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Dr. Singhal, Assistant Professor in Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, was elected to the position of IADR GOHIRN North American Region Assistant Group Program Chair. In this role, will she will be responsible for promoting the activities of GOHIRN and AADR by helping to develop research initiatives on global oral health inequalities. Specifically, she will assist in the coordination and collection of research abstracts for the IADR/AADR conferences in 2016.
“I am thrilled that two of our faculty have been elected to fill these important positions within the GOHIRN,” said Dr. Garcia, Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research, “their new appointments are yet another strong example of the national and international recognition that the GSDM has attained for the outstanding research on oral health disparities being conducted here.”