# University of Iowa Institutional Training Program in Oral Health Research

> **NIH NIH R90** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $218,996

## Abstract

Project Summar\
This competitive renewal application proposes to continue our program to provide comprehensive, integrated 
training in dental and craniofacial research at the University of Iowa (UI) to a cohort of basic, clinical, and 
translational researchers and dental scholars. It will provide dentists and non-dentists with a 
comprehensive skillset to meet the challenges of oral health research in academia for the 21st century. 
Outstanding interdisciplinary didactic training and rigorous research mentoring will emphasize ongoing review 
and critique. The proposed program builds on 37 years of research training success, with several major 
enhancements listed briefly below. The program addresses 7 major research training areas: 1) Craniofacial, 
Oral Biology, Genetics, and Dental Development; 2) Bioengineering, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells, 
Biomaterials, and Materials; 3) Immunology, Inflammation, Microbiology, Caries, and Microbiome; 4) Oral 
Cancer; 5) Public Health, Epidemiology, and Behavioral Sciences; 6) Oral Health Policy; and 7) Clinical, 
Translational, and Big Data Research, reflecting the strengths of the College of Dentistry, UI health science 
colleges, and collaborative institutes and centers. Trainees in the proposed program will pursue a PhD in Oral 
Science (or in one of the 13 other affiliated PhD programs) or a post-doctoral fellowship. In addition, trainees 
now will be able to obtain a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching, Biostatistics, or Translational and Clinical 
Investigation or an MS in Dental Public Health. The T90 will support 4 non-dentist predocs and 2 dentists for 
the PhD (3 years each) and 1 non-dentist postdoc (2 years). The R90 component reflects the importance 
international dentists have in U.S. oral health research programs and will support 2 dentists for the PhD (3 
years each). A group of 28 experienced program faculty from a variety of disciplines is available to mentor 
trainees. The success of our program over the past 4+ years is seen in 5 trainees receiving F- or K-awards 
since 2019 and trainees’ successful career placement. To build on this success, we propose several 
improvements/new major components of this Oral Health Research Institutional Training Program. The 
successful Grant-Writing Workshop Series has been updated and enhanced. Additionally, we propose several 
new programs, including ones in Research Rigor, Research Leadership Development, and Interdisciplinary 
Faculty Mentoring. Training will be supervised by the experienced Director and Associate Director and 
implemented in concert with a Faculty Leadership Team. Several committees will support the program:
internal and external advisory committees, importantly a Committee on Recruitment and Diversity, and other 
component-specific committees. In summary, the program brings together productive, well-funded mentors 
with pre- and post-doctoral trainees in an environment with a strong institutional commitment, outstanding ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10877777
- **Project number:** 5R90DE024296-12
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN M. LEVY
- **Activity code:** R90 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $218,996
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10877777

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10877777, University of Iowa Institutional Training Program in Oral Health Research (5R90DE024296-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10877777. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*