# University of Iowa Institutional Training Program in Oral Health Research

> **NIH NIH T90** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $503,702

## Abstract

Project Summary
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
interdisciplinary research...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10877794
- **Project number:** 5T90DE023520-12
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN M. LEVY
- **Activity code:** T90 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $503,702
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10877794

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10877794, University of Iowa Institutional Training Program in Oral Health Research (5T90DE023520-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10877794. Licensed CC0.

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