From Dean Carroll Ann Trotman

The start of a new semester is always an exciting time in the college, and August is the month when it all begins. Our sophomore, junior, and senior students return from summer break, and the freshmen dental and dental hygiene students arrive for their first week of classes.

For our new students, the White Coat Ceremony is a milestone event. We welcome them as members of the college community and aspiring dental professionals -- and it is the first time they wear their white coats. As you'll see in the news item below, this year's ceremony will be held August 19th at the Mershon Auditorium. It will also be live streamed, and I invite you to join us virtually for this annual tradition that means so much to so many.

Although we’re gearing up for the student activities that are just ahead, we have been equally busy and productive over the summer, so there’s a lot of good news to share!

In the Division of Biosciences, Dr. Sarah Peters received an R03 grant for $315,000 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The project investigates the regulation of tooth mineralization, root elongation, and innervation during a critical phase in postnatal tooth development. This important research has the potential to bolster regenerative endodontics to treat injuries and disease states, and to ensure the proper development and long-term retention of healthy teeth.

Other achievements include faculty who are recognized for their leadership and dedication to professional dental organizations. Dr. Binnaz Leblebicioglu, professor in the Division of Periodontology, was selected as a member of the Osseointegration Foundation Board which fosters the highest standards of research and education for practitioners. Dr. Dimitris Tatakis, also a periodontology professor, was appointed as a Director of the American Board of Periodontology. His role supports the board’s oversight of the certification process. Another success for the periodontology division is the award for Best Presentation that was given to Dr. Yu-Chang (John) Wu at the 14th Biennial Ramfjord Symposium at the University of Michigan. Dr. Wu was a third-year resident in the Advanced Education Program in Periodontology when he received the award, and he is now a proud alum.

More good news is that the college continues to attract outstanding faculty and staff. Dr. Miaomiao Li recently joined the Division of Biosciences as an assistant professor. She is a researcher whose investigations of bone biology and bone inflammation are funded by the National Institutes of Health. And in September, Dr. Hillary Schiff also will join the Division of Biosciences as an assistant professor of ingestive behaviors. She currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she conducts research on the ways that early gustatory experiences shape taste preferences for sugar.

In addition to these hires, Jennifer Lanter joined us last month as a member of the financial services team. With more than 30 years’ experience in healthcare revenues, she oversees the college’s clinical revenue cycle functions, including patient registration, scheduling for the student clinics, and patient billing and insurance functions.

One other news item highlights our dental students who are making a difference in the oral health of high school athletes. Working under faculty supervision, students from the college’s Sports in Dentistry Club helped provide custom mouthguards for student-athletes at Columbus’s West High School. A shout-out goes to everyone who pitched in!

As you can see, the college community is busy at all times as we work together in ways that have a positive and significant impact. I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter -- and I hope you feel proud that we continue to advance, achieve, and succeed!

White Coat Ceremony Welcomes Dental Hygiene Class of 2026 and Dental Class of 2028: Join the Live-Streamed Event!

On August 19th, the College of Dentistry will host its annual White Coat Ceremony for incoming dental and dental hygiene students. The event marks the beginning of the professional educational experience of the dental hygiene Class of 2026 and the dental Class of 2028.

Speakers will include the College of Dentistry's Dean Carroll Ann Trotman; Associate Dean, Pre-Doctoral Education and Student Life, Dr. Rachel Kearney; Dental Alumni Society President, Ms. Kelly Divito; Ohio Dental Hygienists' Association President, Ms. Beth Monnin; and Ohio Dental Association President, Dr. Manish Chopra.

The event will be held on campus at the Mershon Auditorium, and the ceremony will be shown online via live streaming. The link will be available on the College of Dentistry's web home page the day of the event. We hope you'll join us!

Sarah Peters, MS, PhD, Receives Grant from NIDCR

Dr. Sarah Peters joined the college in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biosciences. Prior to that, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She brought with her a K99/R00 grant of $981,028 from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) that supported her research on peptidergic neurons that communicate with dental pulp stem cells during early postnatal development to create a sensory tooth and during wound tooth injury responses. The NIDCR also awarded her a supplement to that grant in 2022 for $67,382, and an R03 grant in 2023 titled “Dentin-pulp dynamics of aging teeth” to investigate how these communications change during adulthood.

This July, Dr. Peters received another R03 grant for $315,000 that will allow her to pursue another line of research. The project is titled "SEMA7 - a regulation of tooth mineralization, root elongation, and innervation." It investigates the process of tooth development in a critical phase during the initiation of matrix deposition, root elongation, and tooth innervation. The research is expected to advance the understanding of those processes, while also having the potential to bolster regenerative endodontics to treat injuries and disease states, and to ensure the proper development and long-term retention of healthy teeth.

The grant was written through the MIND the Future program from the NIDCR and the American Association of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The program is designed to create and retain diversity in dental research communities. 

Visit Dr. Peters' lab to learn more.

Dental student volunteers [left to right]: Rohit Rambhatla, D2; Logan Shope, D3; Ethan Leonard, D3; Emma Workman, D3

Sports Dentistry Club Members Provide Mouthguards for High School Athletes

On July 8th, 25 football players from Columbus's West High School traveled to the College of Dentistry where they received care from DDS students who provided them with customized mouthguards.

The event was organized by the college's Sports Dentistry Club, which was founded last year by D3 students Ethan Leonard and Logan Shope. Knowing that contact sports can cause injuries to the mouth and teeth, the dental students wanted to use their skills to provide mouthguards for the West High student athletes.

Dr. Deborah Mendel, an Associate Professor-Clinical in the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry who also serves as Ohio State's team dentist, supervised the dental students' work, along with other faculty from the Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry. The faculty volunteers were Dr. John Koutras, Assistant Professor-Practice; Dr. Leonardo Nassani, Assistant Professor-Clinical; Dr. Diana Smyres, Assistant Professor-Clinical; and Dr. Robert Uhlin, Assistant Professor-Clinical.

Dean Carroll Ann Trotman applauded the initiative that served student athletes in need of specialized care. She said, "This is just one example of what can be accomplished when the college community works together. I’m grateful to the Sports Dentistry Club members, to Dr. Mendel, and everyone who helped with this worthwhile effort!"

Read the Ohio State News item about this event: "Sports Dentistry Club Makes Free Mouth Guards for Local Students."

Periodontology Professors Serve on Boards of National Organizations: Binnaz Leblebicioglu, DDS, MS, PhD, and Dimitris Tatakis, DDS, PhD

Dr. Binnaz Leblebicioglu was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Osseointegration Foundation, which fosters the highest standards of research and education for dental implant practitioners. As a longtime faculty member in the college and a periodontology professor, Dr. Leblebicioglu has extensive experience in teaching, mentoring, and conducting research on peri-implant wound healing in the early phases of osseointegration. She is a practicing periodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.

Dr. Dimitris Tatakis is a professor in the Division of Periodontology who also serves as the Graduate Periodontics Program Director and the Director of Global Initiatives. He recently was elected as a Director of the American Board of Periodontology which is the only nationally recognized certification board for the dental specialty of periodontics. Dr. Tatakis conducts research on periodontal regenerative surgical outcomes and periodontal wound healing, and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.  

Alumnus Yu-Chang (John) Wu, DDS, MS, Wins Best Presentation Award



As a third-year resident in the college's Advanced Education Program in Periodontology, Dr. Yu-Chang (John) Wu competed in June at the University of Michigan's 14th Biennial Ramfjord Symposium, which included a category for clinical case demonstrations. The symposium is named in honor of Sigurd P. Ramfjord, a former chair of the University of Michigan's Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, and a pioneer in the treatment of periodontal disease.

The competition's Best Presentation Award was given to Dr. Wu for his project titled "Optimizing Oroantral Communication Repair for Successful Implant Placement by Free Gingival Graft and Sinus Augmentation: A Case Report."

MiaoMiao Li, PhD, Serves as Assistant Professor, Division of Biosciences



On August 1st, Dr. Miaomiao Li joined the college as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biosciences. She earned her Master of Science and PhD degrees in medical chemistry from Ocean University (China), and then moved to the U.S., where she served as a Research Scientist in the Department of Oral Biology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Dr. Li's research interests include glycobiology, bone biology, inflammation, glycochemistry, and the human gut microbiome. Her current project, titled "Demystify Heparan Sulfate-Sclerostin Interactions in Bone Formation," is funded by an R03 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

As a member of the college faculty, she continues her research; contributes to the division's didactic teaching responsibilities; and works to enhance the curriculum to ensure the highest quality of educational experiences for students.

Hillary Schiff, PhD, to Join Division of Biosciences: September 3



On September 3rd, Dr. Hillary Schiff will join the college's Division of Biosciences as an Assistant Professor of Ingestive Behaviors. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University; a Master of Arts degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago; and a PhD in neuroscience from New York University. She currently serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Dr. Schiff's current research investigates the ways that early experiences shape taste preferences for sugar. Her work explores the underlying neural basis for this phenomenon, particularly in inhibitory circuits in the gustatory cortex. In 2020, she received a National Research Service Award - F32 Fellowship from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The award is designed to support promising postdoctoral researchers who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators within the broad scope of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.

Jennifer Lanter, BSN, MPH, is Director of Revenue Cycle Services



Jennifer Lanter joined the college on July 15th as the Director of Revenue Cycle Services. In that capacity, she oversees all clinical revenue cycle functions, including patient registration, scheduling for the student clinics, and patient billing and insurance functions for the college clinics. She also has a key role in establishing new clinical research billing functions. 

Jennifer's education includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Louisville. She also holds Epic clinical and research billing certifications and a Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. She has more than 30 years of experience working in healthcare revenue cycles, serving most recently as the Director of Revenue Cycle Clinical Support and Research Billing at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center.

Save these dates for our alumni events! Email invitations will be sent soon.

September 11: Reception at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Learn more.

September 13: Reception at the 2024 Ohio Dental Association Annual Session. Learn more.

October 25 and 26: Homecoming Weekend 2024! Events include the Golden Buckeyes 50th Reunion dinner, the family-friendly Alumni Tailgate, tours of Postle Hall, and more. Get details on the Homecoming Weekend web page.

Questions? Visit the alumni web page for updates. Or send an email to Christine Sturmi at sturmi.6@osu.edu or call 614-247-4816.