Research Scholars Day Recap

Research Scholars Day at Texas A&M College of Dentistry offers the opportunity for dental, dental hygiene and graduate students to showcase their research from the previous year, whether conducted as part of the Predoctoral Research Training Fellowship, the second year of the dental hygiene program or during the course of a master’s thesis.

The 44th annual event at the dental school was no exception. For several hours during the afternoon of April 5, students discussed research posters with classmates and instructors, and still others gave oral presentations.

Here’s a look at the 2017 event’s standout finishers.

Oral presentations

• 1st place, clinical graduate student/resident: Elizabeth Chybowski, endodontics resident
  • Mentor: Dr. Jenny He
• 1st place, basic sciences graduate student: Tian “Mickey” Liang, biomedical sciences doctoral student
  • Mentor: Dr. Yongbo “Bob” Lu
• Dental student: Kevin Chan, D1
  • Mentor: Dr. Jerry Feng

Dental student presentations

• 1st place: Derrick Pylant, D2
  • Mentor: Dr. Phillip Kramer
• 2nd place: Clair Hollingsworth, D1
  • Mentors: Dr. Katie Julien and Dr. Peter Buschang
• Honorable mention: Delton Tatum, D1
  • Mentor: Dr. Feng Tao

Graduate and postdoctoral poster presentations

• Clinical graduate student: Dr. Regina Casian, oral and maxillofacial radiology resident
  • Mentor: Dr. Byron Benson
• Basic science graduate student: Dr. Crystal Stinson
  • Mentor: Dr. Phillip Kramer
• Postdoctoral researcher: Dr. Sufang Liu
  • Mentor: Dr. Feng Tao

Dental hygiene table clinic presentations

• 1st Place: DH2s Iksaa Manzouri and Melina Ruiz-Alvarez
  • Mentor: Mary Vu
• 2nd Place: DH2s Kim Latko and Eric Gardner
  • Mentor: Leigh Ann Wyatt
• 3rd Place: DH2s Sidra Fatima and Callie Redden
  • Mentor: Leigh Ann Wyatt
• Honorable mention: DH2s Addi Newman and Prerna Patel
  • Mentor: Eric Fox

First place winners Manzouri and Ruiz-Alvarez will receive a travel award to attend and present their table clinic at the American Dental Hygienists’ Association national meeting in June.

Special awards for dental students

• The ADA Dentsply-Sirona Student Clinician award: Kevin Chan, D1
  • Mentor: Dr. Jerry Feng
• Hinman Dental Scholars award: Derrick Pylant, D2
  • Mentor: Dr. Phillip Kramer
• Hinman Dental Scholars award: John Ratliff, D2
  • Mentor: Dr. Amal Noureldin

Both special awards include a travel stipend for recipients to attend and present their research at upcoming national meetings.