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School of Dentistry Office of Research

The Office of Research was established in July 2023 with the hire of Dr. Brenda Heaton as Associate Dean for Research at the University of Utah School of Dentistry. She also serves as an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Health Sciences Research. 

Our purpose is to expand the scope and impact of oral health research at the University of Utah. In our first year, we expanded our team to support nearly every aspect of research development at out school. 

For general inquiries, contact our Office of Research. 

Contact the Office of Research

Brenda Heaton, PhD, MPH
Brenda Heaton, PhD, MPH

Meet our Team

Rebecca Wayment, MPA

Program Manager, Office of Research

Mary Anne Karren, PhD

Research Development Associate

Diane Jones

Senior Clinical Research Coordinator

Michael Bingham

Clinical Research Coordinator

Brandi Johnson

Financial Management Analyst

We Support Research

  • Study design
  • IRB and clinical research protocols
  • Student research engagement
  • Grant and proposal development
  • Financial management
  • Data access
  • Science writing
  • Research repositories

Research Resources

    Few dental schools are located in a research-rich institution. To take advantage of these unique research opportunities, faculty members are encouraged to conduct interdisciplinary scholarly activity with established institutional programs like the Utah Addiction Center.

    Dental students have the opportunity to work with established, funded researchers and to present their research at national and international conferences. Recent student research includes the following:

    • Cell-Sheet Technology Regenerates Mouse Salivary Gland Functional Markers - Ryan Davis
    • Comparing Cell Sheet Technology With Fibrin Hydrogels for Salivary Gland Regeneration - Nicholas Propp
    • 5-Lipoxygenase Regulates SMG Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in a Sex-Dependent Manner - Emily Thomas
    • AT-RvD1 Treatment Decreases Levels of Pathogenic Signaling Proteins in NOD/ShiLtJSS-like Mice - Daniel Atkinson
    • Resolvin Producing Enzyme Levels in NOD/ShiLtJSS-like Mice Treated With AT-RvD1 - Abrahama McKay
    • Developing Protocol for Placing Dental Sealants in Rural Haiti - Adam Hine
    • Effect of Light Curing Directionality on Resin Shrinkage - Jacob Beckstrand and Taylor Hoybjerg
    • An In Vitro Analysis of the Effects of Ceragenins on Tooth Discoloration - Cory McLeod and Bracken Bateman
    • Project Blackroom: Where Dental Anatomy Meets Virtual Reality - Timothy Bitner

    For any pre-award grant assistance, please reach out to Brittany Thurgood, Pre-Award Grants & Contracts Officer.

    Grants:

    Utah Initiatives:

    Internal Review Board (IRB) Process:

    Funding for Students: