AADOCR NSRG - Councilor Candidate
Reasons for Running
As a DDS/PhD candidate at UCSF, I am deeply committed to pursuing an academic and research career, with the goal of bridging the gap between clinical dentistry and basic science. Over the past seven years, there have been no student representatives from dental schools in the Pacific Region. I aim to promote regional diversity within NSRG by leveraging the strong network I have cultivated among dental students and academicians in my region.To achieve this objective, in my role as the elective coordinator for the UCSF chapter of NSRG, I have dedicated extensive efforts to connect our students with leading clinician-scientists from across the nation. While serving as the NSRG Pacific Regional representative, I successfully reestablished a robust network among student researchers and mentors within the region.
If elected, I will expand my impact on dental research and ensure that students from all regions have access to the incredible opportunities offered by AADOCR NSRG. I will achieve this by organizing workshops that focus on finding mentors and securing funding. Additionally, I will host Zoom Q&A sessions with prominent dental academicians to enable more student researchers on the West Coast to participate and present their work at future AADOCR/IADR sessions.
Research Conducted / Student Activities
Research Conducted
· Dual degree (DDS/PhD) student in the lab of Ophir Klein; PhD successfully defended in May 2023 and matriculated into the dental program in September 2023
· NIDCR F30 fellowship recipient, UCSF Discovery Fellow, ARCS scholar, IADR Women in Science Group Promising Talent Award, AADOCR Bloc Travel Grant recipient, and AADOCR student research fellowship recipient
· Pacific Regional Representative for the NSRG, with distinction as an Outstanding Regional Representative in August 2023
· Board member of the John C. Greene Society at UCSF, an NSRG chapter
· Invited talks at the Keystone Symposium on Fibrosis in June 2022 and the International Association of Dental Research in June 2023; Poster presentations at AADR 2021 and 2022; Represented UCSF at SCADA 2022
· Winner, graduate category, Research and Clinical Excellence Day at UCSF, Spring 2021; Finalist, Bernard G. Sarnat competition, July 2021
Student Activities
· Team captain, UCSF soccer team, January 2022-present
· Mentor to high school students from underserved communities who are interested in careers in STEM via the organization OverCOME, January 2021-June 2022
· Tutor, Cell Biology (BMS 260) at UCSF, Fall 2021
· Oral and Craniofacial Sciences student representative on the department steering committee, July 2019-July 2021
· Student Teacher, UCSF’s Science and Health Organization Partnership, Spring 2019