We seek to establish an institutional Dental Scientist Training Program (DSTP) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry. DSTP trainees will pursue an integrated course of studies that will include: fundamental training in basic sciences with an emphasis on areas relevant to oral health care, supervised research experience leading to a PhD degree with the option of specializing in oral biology, epidemiology or bioengineering, and fundamental education and clinical training in dentistry through our vertically-integrated curriculum, leading to the DDS. We offer an exceptional environment for this program because of the outstanding biomedical research strengths of our campuses coupled with our unique and innovative clinical programs. The research areas and disciplines offered will be (a) Oral Biology, focusing primarily on molecular mechanisms of development, pathogenesis and healing, and involving faculty throughout the health science faculties at UCSF, (b) Bioengineering, focused on biomaterials, neurobiology and bioengineering, and involving the collaboration of faculty at the University of California campuses at San Francisco and Berkeley, and (c) Epidemiology, focusing on epidemiologic studies related to oral health, and again involving faculty from both UCSF and UC, Berkeley. Training will be integrated to include all elements of our conventional DDS and PhD degrees; in addition the DDS will include activities within the UCSF Advanced Education in General Dentistry program and we will expect candidates to pursue further postdoctoral research and clinical experience after completion of the PhD. Our goal is to create a cohort of individuals who will carry into their working lives in dental teaching and research a pattern of activity which integrates clinical education and care at the highest levels with a commitment to active and creative research. We plan to train two candidates per year; each will be very highly qualified for DDS entry and will have demonstrated commitment to a research career through coursework and other activities at the Bachelor's level or higher. The integrated DDS-PhD will be a minimum of eight years duration, rather than the minimum nine years the courses would require at UCSF were they to be taken in sequence. The primary facilities will be those of the UCSF Schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy, and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore Laboratories.
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