The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry has received a $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a research training program for oral health.
Faculty at the UCLA School of Dentistry have conducted multidisciplinary research that has led to major advances, ranging from stem cell science to saliva diagnostics, the school noted in a press release.
The grant, from the NIH's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, will allow the school to continue these efforts by creating a comprehensive research training program to cultivate the next generation of dentist-scientists and oral health researchers.
The grant establishes a pipeline that trains dentists in science and research to advance oral health and the dental profession. Prior grant cycles allowed only U.S. citizens and permanent residents to participate in the training programs, but the new five-year grant enables foreign dentists to benefit from the NIH funds.
Trainees accepted into the programs will be mentored by current UCLA School of Dentistry faculty members in four areas: oral cancer and cancer biology, bone biology and bioengineering, microbiology and immunology, and stem cell and regenerative medicine.
