Research Day 2023
Schulich Dentistry Research Day Awards
Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation Award
1st award $1000 Travel award
Winner: Jennifer Guo
Project: The Effects of Growth Factors on Human Periodontal Ligament Cells and Human Gingival Fibroblasts
Supervisor(s): Drs. Douglas Hamilton, Amin Rizkalla
2nd award $500 Cash award
Winner: Luis Limo
Project: Dental Care Utilization Associates With Better Oral Health And Lower Multimorbidity In Middle-Aged And Older Canadians
Supervisor(s): Drs. Noha Gomaa, Saverio Stranges, Kathryn Nicholson
3rd award $250 Cash award
Winner: Anelyse Found
Project: Effects of Distance-Learning Strategies in Dental Fixed Prosthodontics amidst COVID-19: A Survey of Students' Perspective
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sheila Butler
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Presentation Award
1st award $1000 Travel award
Winner: Alex (Keng-Shuo) Pi
Project: Effect Of Planetary Mixing Time On 3YTZP/Tio2 Ceramics’ Microstructure For Dental Implant Application– A Pilot Study
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sheila Butler
2nd award $500 Cash award
Winner: Kevin Zhou
Project: Evaluating The Maxillary Defect Reconstruction Accuracy Of A Statistical Shape Model Via Simulated Surgery On Cadaveric Human Heads: A Novel Validation Method
Supervisor(s): Drs. Michael Shimizu, Trevor Thang
3rd award $250 Cash award
Winner: Mansha Nayyar
Project: Synthesis And Characterization Of Class II Hybrid Biomaterials To Be Used As Synthetic Bone Grafts For Severe Periodontal Disease
Supervisor: Drs. Douglas Hamilton, Amin Rizkalla
Ontario Dental Association Research Studentships (2 awards)
Winner: Ahmed Abbas
Project: Towards Healthy Aging: Deciphering The Role Of Inflammaging In The Multimorbidity-Periodontal Disease Connection
Supervisor: Drs. Noha Gomaa, Carlos Quiñonez
Winner: Joeleen Philip
Project: What Is Essential Or Medically Necessary Oral Health Care?
Supervisor(s): Drs. Carlos Quiñonez, Noha Gomaa
Western’s Nominee for the 2024 Canadian Dental Association (CDA)-
Dentsply Sirona Student Clinician Research Competition (June 2024)
Winner: Alex (Keng-Shuo) Pi
Project: Effect Of Planetary Mixing Time On 3YTZP/Tio2 Ceramics’ Microstructure For Dental Implant Application– A Pilot Study
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sheila Butler
9:00 am-10:00 am – STUDENT POSTER PRESENTATIONS
10:00 am-10:30 am – WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, Vice-Dean and Director, Schulich Dentistry
Dr. Robert Bartha, Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Dr. Noha Gomaa, Associate Director, Research, Schulich Dentistry
10:30 am-11:30 am – 18TH ANNUAL JOHN T. HAMILTON DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
Globally competent and locally relevant – why global oral health matters
Dr. Habib Benzian, Professor of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at NYU Dental College and Co-Director of the only WHO Collaborating Center for oral health in the WHO region of the Americas
11:30 am-12:00 pm – DISCUSSION
12:00 pm-1:00 pm – LUNCH & LEARN BREAKOUT SESSIONS (SIGN-UP ONLY, FULL)
1:00 pm-1:30 pm - AWARDS CEREMONY AND CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. Brock Nicolocci, President, Ontario Dental Association (ODA)
Dr. Noha Gomaa, Associate Director, Research, Schulich Dentistry
18th Annual John T. Hamilton Distinguished Lecture
Title: Globally competent and locally relevant – why global oral health matters
Since the publication of the first Lancet Series on Oral Health in 2019, global oral health has seen unprecedented momentum. For the first time in history, the 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to tackle the mounting burden of oral diseases in a concerted effort. A series of resolutions, global policies, action plans and data reports have put oral health back on the global health agenda. Within this landscape, pertinent questions arise: What implications does this hold for individual nations, their healthcare systems, the training of oral health professionals, and the trajectories of research?
This lecture will provide a snapshot of the status of oral health globally and outline some of the key challenges that people, health planners and decision makers are facing today. The new global policy guidance from the WHO is a unique opportunity to push for radical reforms, and an obligation for advocates and future oral health professionals to not be contempt with the current dire status of oral health in populations and communities around the globe. Leadership for reforms in oral health care and prevention is urgently required.
In this era of change and reforms, embracing the fusion of global competency with local relevance emerges not as a mere choice, but as a responsibility—an invitation and obligation to shape a future where oral health inequalities are reducing and where Universal Coverage for Oral Health can become a reality for all.
Presented By Dr. Habib Benzian
Habib Benzian is a Professor of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at NYU Dental College and Co-Director of the only WHO Collaborating Center for oral health in the WHO region of the Americas. With more than 20 years of global health experience, he is a leader in advocating for oral health globally.
As an expert in international public health, health policy, NCDs, school health, and WASH in schools, he bridges academia, policy, and practice. He advises organizations such as WHO and UNICEF, and has supported major policy processes at the global, regional, and national level, including the WHO Global Strategy on Oral Health and the Global Oral Health Action Plan. He was part of the editorial team for the first-ever WHO Global Oral Health Status Report and is a Global Health Research Fellow at Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies, Africa’s premier research institute which partners with the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, researching global oral health governance and political priority setting.
The John T. Hamilton Distinguished Lectureship is awarded to an outstanding dental researcher. This lectureship was founded in 1997 in honour of Dr. John T. Hamilton, who served from 1983 to 1996 as Assistant Dean for Research of the (then) Faculty of Dentistry. The Hamilton Lecture is presented in conjunction with Dentistry’s Annual Research Day.
