UCI Hellman fellow to study oral health

Five University of California, Irvine (UCI) assistant professors, including one who will study oral health, have received 2020-2021 Hellman fellowships.

Jenna Riis, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological science, will receive up to $50,000 to identify and validate biologic and self-reported measures of oral health that could be used to address oral, physical, and emotional health disparities and improve the integration and quality of healthcare.

Other awardees will receive funds to study human gut microbe health, machine learning, strategies for building relationships with suspected child victims of maltreatment, and how Tibetan ritual dance has survived modernization.