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.
Meet our Team
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
- New Investigators: start here
- Onboarding training and checklist for New Investigators
- How to Submit Grant Proposals
- Research Education
- Important forms for grants from the Office of Sponsored Projects (includes Document Summary Sheet, budget worksheets, F&A distribution worksheet, etc.)
- Some frequently-used websites of interest for research:
- Document Summary Sheet instructions (created through CIS)
- Cayuse S2S (formerly 424)
- Conflict of Interest form
- Fringe Benefits
- F&A (indirect costs)
- Core Facilities
- OSP Officer (Mary Mulvey)
- Grant due dates:
For any pre-award grant assistance, please reach out to Brittany Thurgood, Pre-Award Grants & Contracts Officer.
Grants:
- University of Utah Intramural Grants (Infoready)
- Research Development Office (grant listings and some grant submission assistance)
- SciVal
Utah Initiatives:
- Utah Genome Project (call for pilot grants each fall)
- Triple I Initiative (call for seed grants each fall)
Internal Review Board (IRB) Process:
Funding for Students:
- Find undergraduate volunteers through the Office of Undergraduate Research (list of current volunteer opportunities for reference)
- Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP): students get paid for working in lab/clinic over the semesters ($12.50/hr with $1500/semester for two semesters)
- Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR): undergraduate summer program posted every fall for faculty to apply for funded position. The university pays for a full-time undergraduate students the following summer.
- Small grants for undergraduate research students (up to $200)
- Travel grants for undergraduate research students (up to $500)
- Competitive Mentored Research Program for Medical Students (summer)
