IADR PRESS RELEASES

Modupe Coker is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Oral Biology at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, N.J. Coker completed her dental training from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. After graduation, she completed her internship at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, and served at a rural hospital in Northern Nigeria. Coker completed her M.P.H. with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md. and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied the association between HIV infection and perinatal exposure, oral microbiome and dental caries in young Nigerian children under the NIH Fogarty program. 

Building on her microbiome, HIV and clinical expertise, Coker’s laboratory is currently conducting large-scale human microbiome research in the context of longitudinal molecular epidemiology studies in young children. Her lab is focused on building clinical infrastructure for a longitudinal cohort and utilizing metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metabolomic characterizations of oral samples to fill the aforementioned gaps and further advance understanding of the gene expressions and metabolic functioning of salivary, buccal and dental plaque microbiomes in context of the health and disease.

"While pursuing my Ph.D. and being in the research field for some time, it became very clear to me that AADR was an important platform to not only share the research I am passionate about but also meet other researchers from all over the world and build network and forge friendships."

Read the full interview.

-   Kamran Awan, Roseman University of Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, South Jordan, Utah

Alexandria, Va., USA — High-volume aspirators are recommended in dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the study “SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity Among Dental Staff and the Role of Aspirating Systems” published in the JDR Clinical & Translational Research (JDR CTR), shows that the type of aspirating system significantly affects the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among dental specialists.

Alexandria, Va., USA – The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is now accepting applications for the AADR Mentoring an Inclusive Network for a Diverse Workforce of the Future (AADR MIND the Future) class of 2021. The AADR MIND the Future program is open to early-career investigators and individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The deadline to apply is May 3, 2021 and the new class of mentees will be notified at the end of June 2021.

Alexandria, Va., USA – The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) has received funding from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIH-NIDCR) to support travel for dental students and NIDCR-supported trainees to present and attend at AADR Annual Meetings through 2023.