CDM Celebrates 68th Birnberg Awards and Symposium

The 68th annual Birnberg Award and Research Symposium took place on April 5 and showcased the diverse student research of 53 pre- and postdoctoral dental students.  

The award, which was established by the Alumni Association of the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in the early 1950s to encourage students to engage in research, features a keynote address by an eminent researcher. This year’s Birnberg Research Awardee, Michel (Hyun) Koo, DDS, PhD co-founding director of the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry and professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania, lectured on “Exploring Biofilm Microbiomes: Integrating Biology, Engineering, and Dentistry.”  

Jarvie Research Society President Neeve Chen, whose research “Micro-Scale Spatial Mechanobiology as a Potential Biophysical Marker for Oral Cancer” won first place in 2024 in the biomedical science category, said many students become involved in research projects between their first and second years of dental school. “But,” she noted, we also have a lot of wonderful postdoc students who are doing their own research. We have third years that have continued to do research and are presenting their projects. and we have a lot of people that are doing research projects with faculty outside of our school -- public health, VPNS, and with students and faculty at dental schools across the country  — translational research, of the sort that Dr. Koo was just discussing.”

Following Dr. Koo’s lecture, students presented their research. Each poster was judged by members of the CDM faculty. Student research is also published in the Jarvie Journal (part 1 and part 2).

The award-winning posters in the Biomedical Science Category are: 

First place: Harsh Chheda Project: Dental Residents' Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors Related to Eating Disorders 

Second place: David Pellei Project: Biologic Augmenter 4-PPBP promotes Fibrocartilagous Healing Related to frHMGB1 Translocation 

Third Place: Sherry Yang Project: Bioactive Glue for In-Situ Regeneration of Perforated TMJ Disc

The award-winning posters in the Social, Behavioral, Education, Geriatric Oral Health, Health Service and Global Oral Health category are:  

First place: Emily Kanellos Project: Dental Residents' Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors Related to Eating Disorders

Second place: Jasleen Kaur Project: Caregiver Pre-visit Sensory Intake Form & Perspective on Child Dental Visit Impact

Second place (tie) Leana Nektalova Project: Analysis of U.S. State Correctional Oral Health Care Policies for Incarcerated Adults

The award-winning posters in the Postdoctoral category are: 

First place: Mackenzie Stephens Project: Ultrasound Evaluation of Orthodontic-Induced Alveolar Bone Loss: A Pilot Study

Second place: Emily Imes Project: Dietary Caries Risk Assessment in Practice