Research Day 2024
By Rachel Boutet
Research Day 2024 took place on February 13 at the Faculty of Dentistry.
“Our Faculty is renown for the breadth and depth of its research,” says vice-dean research and professor Morris Manolson. “Having a day dedicated to highlighting all the incredible work being done is important for our students, faculty and staff. I’m incredibly proud of everyone who showcased their hard work.”
Students participated in the day through the poster competition and oral presentations. Mercedes Ing was named the winner of the Faculty’s final round of the 3-Minute Thesis Competition and will move on to the larger, university-wide competition.
“Research Day provides students with the opportunity to practice their oral presentation skills and think quickly on their feet as they respond to questions from the audience,” says Manolson. “These important skills will help prepare them for their future careers.”
This year’s keynote speaker was Paul Allison from the University of McGill, who spoke about Canadian oral health care professionals and trainees in the pandemic. The day also included keynotes from Faculty members Herenia Lawrence, associator professor, and Sonica Singhal, associate professor and director of the Dental Public Health graduate program.
Congratulations to the winners of Research Day 2024!
Morning Oral Presentations, SRG Travel Awards:
Angelico Obille (Graduate Student Fundamental Science Category)
Characterization of a DOPA-deficient wet adhesive protein extracted from the freshwater quagga mussel
Dr. Eli Sone
Obille, A., Hasan, R., Carneiro, K., Sone, E.
Anna Ness (Graduate Student Clinical Science Category)
Indigeneity: A Strength-Based Approach to Oral Health of Indigenous Children.
Dr. Herenia Lawrence
Ness, A, Galloway, T, Mashford-Pringle, A, Lawrence, HP
3-Minute Thesis Talks:
Winner: Mercedes Ing
1st runner up: Aainaa Khairuddin
2nd runner up: Shivani Desai
3rd runner up: Anqi Liu
Afternoon Poster Session Winners
Undergraduate Student Category:
1. Poster #13: Emma Lindsay
Characterization of Engineered Gingival Tissue Using Autologous Adipose-Derived Cells
Dr. Paul Santerre, supervisor
Lindsay, E.A., Webb, B.C.W., Hoffer, S.O.P., Santerre, J.P.
2. Poster #26: Stephanie Ziyue Liu
Rab GTPase Proteins Regulate V-ATPase Movement
Dr. Morris Manolson, supervisor
Liu, S., Zirngibl, R., & Manolson, M.
3. Poster #25: Joyce Zhu
The Role of TRPV4 In Matrix Remodeling by Gingival Fibroblasts
Dr. Christopher McCulloch, supervisor
Zhu, J.Y., Ji, C.F., McCulloch C.A.
Graduate Student Fundamental Science Category:
1. Poster #54: Imran Farooq
An investigation of the phenotype of long and alveolar bone loss in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected mice
Dr. Tara Moriarty, supervisor
Farooq, I., Boczula, A., Moriarty, T.
2. Poster #67: Zhiyue Zhu
Development of Engineered Pulmonary Valve Tissue for Testing in a Porcine Model
Dr. Craig Simmons, supervisor
Zhu, Z., Mirani, B., Latifi, N., Simmons, C.
3. Poster #60: Yuval Peled
New insights on neutrophils' potential contributions to restoration failure
Dr. Yoav Finer, supervisor
Peled, Y., Ragheai, A., Stewart, C., Sun, C., Glogauer, M., Finer, Y.
Graduate Student Clinical Science Category:
1. Poster #31: Madeleine Edmonds
Performance of Orthodontists in Diagnosing Incidental Findings on Pre-treatment Panoramic Radiographs
Dr. Marco Magalhaes, supervisor
Edmonds, M., Perschbacher, S., Cioffi, I., Magalhaes, M.
2. Poster #35: Vincent Lavoie
Spatial transcriptomic analysis of oral epithelial dysplasia reveals unique differentially expressed genes and microenvironment changes
Dr. Marco Magalhaes, supervisor
Lavoie, V., Jeong, W., Chugh, D.
3. Poster #49: Kelsey Won
Malignant Transformation of Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Lichenoid Lesions: a single centre, 10-year review of 1243 cases
Dr. Marco Magalhaes, supervisor
Won, K., Magalhaes, M.
Post-Doctoral Fellows and Research Associates Category:
Poster #70: Raquel Benitez
The Yin and Yang of myofibroblast activation: matrix production or contraction?
Dr. Boris Hinz, supervisor
Benitez R., Stegmaier, A., Hinz B.
Top Photo: 3-Minute Thesis Competition Winner Mercedes Ing (Jeff Comber)