Science Day 2017 the Largest Yet
On Thursday, March 16, 2017, members of the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) gathered for Science Day, an annual event that highlights the exceptional research being conducted at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM). The day started with a poster research session, followed by lunch, and a keynote presentation by Dr. Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH. The day concluded with a series of oral research presentations. An accompanying vendor fair was also held at 100 East Newton Street.
The morning session featured 35 poster presentations by pre- and postdoctoral students/residents/fellows/candidates in the DMD, DMD AS, MSD, PhD, DScD, and Advanced Specialty Education Programs postdoctoral programs across GSDM and BUMC. The winners from the two poster sessions were:
Dental Student (DMD/DMD Advanced Standing) 1st Place
Heidar Zohrehei, Goli Parsi, Judith Jones, AA Alsulaiman, K. Starikvo, Sok Ja Janket, C. Asikis and Melih Motro. Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics: “Volumetric Effects of RME on Upper Airway, Based on CBCT Data – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”
Masters (MSD/1st yr PhD/DScD) 1st Place
Bushra Aljahdali, Mansour Alasiri, Abdullah Bamashmous, Xiaoren Tang, Erdjan Salih and Serge Dibart. Department of Periodontology: “Involvement of TNFAIP1-mediated Signaling Pathway in Regulation of P.G/LPS-induced TMF-alpha Production.”
Postdoctoral Student 1st Place
Ghassan Darwish, Chin-Hua Yang, Na Tian, Guoxian Wei and Eva Helmerhorst. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: “Gliadin Degradation and Epitope Abolishment in the Gastro-intestinal Tract of Mice.”
Fellow 1st Place
Zsanett Jancso, Andrea Geisz, B.C. Nemeth and Miklos Sahin-Toth. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: “Role of Chymotrypsin C in Cerulein-induced Pancreatitis in the Mouse.”
Following the poster presentations and lunch, the keynote address was delivered in the BUSM Hiebert Lounge from 1 – 2 p.m.
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter welcomed everyone to Science Day and the keynote address. “By coming together here today, each and every one of you proves that Science Day is truly an event that transcends dentistry and brings together people who are interested in scientific research throughout Boston University and the city of Boston,” said Dean Hutter.
This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Frank Hu, is Chair of the Department of Nutrition, a Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Hu serves as the Co-Director of the Program in Obesity Epidemiology and Prevention at Harvard and Director of the Boston Nutrition and Obesity Research Center Epidemiology and Genetics Core. He has published over 800 papers and reviews, as well as a textbook on the epidemiology of obesity. His research has focused on diet/lifestyle, metabolic, and genetic determinants of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). He is the Principal Investigator of the diabetes component of the Nurses’ Health Study. He also leads two NIH-funded projects to study Mediterranean dietary interventions, plasma metabolites, and risk of diabetes and CVD in the PREDIMED trial.
Dr. Hu’s presentation, titled, “Curbing the Global Epidemic of Obesity: From Science to Policy,” highlighted the culprits in the obesity epidemic, including dietary, socio-economic, and environmental causes. In wealthy countries, like the U.S., Dr. Hu noted that the poorer citizens tend to be obese, while in developing countries, citizens with larger incomes tend to be more obese. In both cases, their obesity increases their risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments. The growing population of obese people worldwide will put new stresses and pressures on health care systems, economies and governments to care for an ailing public. Another interesting trend in the diabetes epidemic that Dr. Hu discussed are the health risks associated with sugar consumption. As the incidence of smoking has decreased, sugar is poised to take over as the leading killer, linked to over 11 different cancers and other metabolic diseases.
Dr. Hu closed his presentation with a call to all researchers. “A translation of science into policies is not straightforward, it is sometimes two steps forward, one step back. For science based policies, the first and most important priority for us as scientists is to produce the most rigorous and solid science that will serve as the foundation for developing policies.”
Immediately following the keynote address, 15 oral presentations took place, with each presenter allotted 12 minutes to discuss their respective research projects. The winners of the oral presentation sessions were:
Dental Student (DMD/DMD Advanced Standing) 1st Place
Edith Lin, Janice L. Walker, Weihao Wang, Alison Romisher, J. L. Jensen, K. Skarstein, A. Sue Menko, and Maria A. Kukuruzinska. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: “Identification of Repair Cells and Immune Surveillance in the Embryonic SMG: Potential Mechanisms Underlying Tissue Fibrosis and Autoimmunity.”
Masters (MSD/1st yr PhD/DScD) 1st Place
Ella Botchevar and David Briss. Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics: “A Morphometric Approach to Facial Growth Prediction.”
Postdoctoral Student 1st Place
Ahmed Alamoudi and Yoshiyuki Mochida. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: “Deficiency in Fam20a Causes Amelogenesis Imperfecta Phenotype Due to Amelogenin Processing Defect.”
Fellow 1st Place
Andrea Geisz, Eszter Hegyi, Zsanett Jancso and Miklos Sahin-Toth. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: “Spontaneous Pancreatitis in a Novel Mouse Model with a Trypsinogen
Mutation.”
Saeed Yazdianopour and Russell Giordano from the Department of Restorative Sciences/Biomaterials were also presented with the ADA/Densply Sirona Award for their research, titled, “Mechanical, Composition, and Structural Properties of Different Dental Material.”
“It is absolutely a priority that we continue our efforts in this important area in order for us to maintain our competitiveness in obtaining grant funding, identifying and nurturing our best researchers within the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, recruiting the best researchers from outside our Institution, and most important of all, maintaining our stature within the University as an integral member of what President Brown describes as a great urban research university,” said Dean Hutter.
Please see more photos from Science Day on our Flickr page.
Please view the full list of presenters in the Science Day program.