Jalali receives university award for patent
Texas A&M School of Dentistry faculty member and inventor Dr. Poorya Jalali was honored at the 2023 Patent and Chancellor’s Innovation Awards April 14 in College Station.
The awards luncheon was hosted by the Texas A&M University System Technology Commercialization Office, recognizing inventors who received patents in 2022.
Jalali, clinical associate professor and director of graduate endodontics, was issued a patent for his invention of a grid device that helps improve accuracy in apicoectomies, an endodontic procedure.
“It was a great honor to be recognized by the university,” he said. “But mostly, it was humbling and inspiring to witness the enthusiasm and dedication of the many innovators from Texas A&M University.”
Jalali said the key to invention is considering solutions to problems faced in everyday practice. He also noted sometimes those solutions are outside the field of dentistry.
“Many times solutions to problems in the dental field can be found in other fields, such as engineering,” he said. “With the new leadership at the dental school, I am positive that we will have many opportunities for collaboration with College Station, which can open up new avenues for innovation.”
Jalali said he has previously disclosed two other ideas to Texas A&M, and he’s excited to see how those projects develop in the coming months.
“I have also been exploring the potential of using the current patent for other applications,” he said.