ABSTRACT Craniofacial birth defects, e.g., cleft lip and cleft palate, are among the most common congenital malformations in humans. Similarly, acquired diseases affecting the craniofacial region (e.g., head and neck cancer) through treatment modalities (e.g., surgery and chemo- and radiation therapy) or accidents (e.g., traffic, firearms, fireworks) often cause significant functional, structural, and esthetic damage to the face, mouth, and cranium. The treatment of these conditions often is complex and involves the coordinated work of the multidisciplinary craniofacial teams at clinics and centers providing comprehensive care for patients. Despite recent advances in treatment options, the lack of knowledge in molecular mechanisms controlling craniofacial development and regeneration remains a major obstacle in development of more sophisticated therapies or more effective prevention of these conditions. The goal of this NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of well- trained scientists is available to address the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. We are confident that this goal is achievable through programs that incorporate effective recruitment, advanced scientific and clinical training, superb mentors, and an outstanding training environment. We leverage our existing and highly successful Oral Health Sciences PhD program and the well-established, accredited clinical specialty programs at the School of Dentistry to provide a pipeline of experts with advanced scientific and clinical training. Specifically, this 7-year program offers PhD training with required and elective courses, research rotations, dissertation research and career and leadership development, coupled with clinical specialty training that supports scholars’ scientific and career plans. We propose to support our existing two scholars, who are currently pursuing the integrated dental specialty and PhD training, until they transition to other funding mechanisms during the second year of their specialty training. At that point, we will admit two new scholars, who will be selected based on strong academic records, research accomplishments, and commitment to a research-intensive academic career with a focus on craniofacial diseases and disorders and support them as outlined above. We will make a special effort to recruit scholars from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. The University of Michigan and the School of Dentistry have a long tradition in graduate education, which is both “student-centered and faculty led”. Our holistic view in graduate training not only prepares scholars for professional challenges of the academic dentistry, but also furnishes them with skills and experiences to become critical independent thinkers and life-long learners. This allows them to develop as master clinicians with recognized independent research careers. Our goal is to educate a diverse and uniquely qualified workforce tha...