Spotlight on FORUS Fellows
Spring 2023/24
The Fellowship in Oral Health Research for Undergraduate Dental Students (FORUS) is a competitive research training program awarded to dental students by Schulich Dentistry’s Research Committee. It is an opportunity to engage in impactful oral health research across the various dental disciplines and specialties. The program's objectives are:
- To foster a culture of research within Schulich Dentistry
- To provide dental students with training to acquire competency in academic research and scholarship
- To support the effective communication of Schulich’s oral health research at the national and international fronts
We are pleased to present our first cohort of FORUS fellows who were happy to share their experiences and accomplishments in the program with us below.
Fellow: Ahmed Abbas
Project: Towards Healthy Aging: Deciphering the Underpinnings of Inflammaging in the Periodontal Disease-Multimorbidity Connection.
Supervisor: Dr. Noha Gomaa
“FORUS has given me the opportunity to connect what I am learning in class to real life applications. The guidance I am receiving from Dr. Gomaa and the S2CL lab is a privilege that is making me a better clinician and researcher. I am thankful for the experiences FORUS has given me this past year and looking forward to future endeavours!”
Accomplishments/Awards:
- 2023 Ontario Dental Association Research Award
- Oral presentation at the Canadian Oral Health Summit, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 2024
Fellow: Liam D'Souza
Project: Characterizing water sorption and flexural properties of bulk-fill dental composites
Supervisor: Dr. Jacinta Santos
“FORUS has enabled me to explore my interests in engineering and dentistry in a single project that provides novel insights into the characteristics of modern dental filling materials. I am thankful for the opportunity to have participated in this program.”
Accomplishments/Awards:
- Completed flexural and water sorption testing of four commercially-available bulk-fill composite materials
Fellow: Joeleen Philip
Project Topic: What is essential or medically necessary oral health care?
Supervisor: Dr. Carlos Quiñonez
"FORUS has been an enriching experience, equipping me with the skills and knowledge to excel in oral health research. Through this program, I've gained valuable training and a chance to collaborate with Schulich Dentistry's esteemed researchers and mentors."
Accomplishments/Awards:
- 2023 Ontario Dental Association Research Award
- Poster presentation at the Canadian Oral Health Summit, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 2024
Fellow: Alex Pi
Project: Optimizing planetary mixing, sintering time and mole percentage of titania on 3YTZP/TiO2 ceramic for dental implants.
Supervisor: Dr. Sheila Butler
"The FORUS program enabled me to reignite my passion and identity as a research scientist while concurrently pursuing my clinical training in dentistry."
Accomplishments/Awards:
- 1st place at Schulich Dentistry Research Day in the undergraduate student category
- Western's Nominee for the 2024 Canadian Dental Association (CDA) - Dentsply Sirona Student Clinician Research Competition (March 2024)
- 2nd place: 2024 Canadian Dental Association (CDA) - Dentsply Sirona Student Clinician Research Competition
- IADR (International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research) Poster presentation in New Orleans, USA (March 2024)
- COHS (Canadian Oral Health Summit) Poster presentation in Halifax, Nova Scotia (June 2024)
- PDC (Pacific Dental Conference) Oral presentation in Vancouver, BC, Canada (March 2024).
