This is a competing renewal proposal for a cariology training program which has been in place at the University of Rochester for 10 years. The program is designed to give first priority to training dentists who wish to pursue PhD level training in a field of research pertinent to cariology; lesser priorities will be given to persons who wish to pursue postdoctoral training in a caries relevant area, to predoctoral candidates who wish to pursue a PhD in cardiology, and to individuals with a PhD who wish to gain postdoctoral training. Trainees will be selected on the basis of their academic records, recommendations from past sponsors, demonstrated aptitude for dental research during their dental training, and future plans for a career in academic dentistry. Special consideration will be given to trainees who have participated successfully in their current short-term training program which is restricted to underrepresented minorities. The program director is Dr. William Bowen. A total of 36 faculty mentors have been identified; 6 of these are from the adjacent Eastman Dental Center. A 9-member executive committee, which includes one outside member, will assist in the selection of trainees, identification of appropriate preceptors, monitoring trainee progress, and reviewing the trainee curriculum. This committee will meet every 6 months. Trainees seeking a PhD will be required to be admitted through the Graduate Program in Biology and Medicine at the University of Rochester. All trainees will be required to take a series of core courses which include ethics and research, fundamentals of dental caries, chemical aspects of dental caries, epidemiology and research design, saliva and salivary glands, oral microbiology, mucosal immunology, pharmacology and therapeutics, and laboratory animal experimentation. In addition, all trainees are required to participate in weekly seminars held in the Department of Dental Research. All students entering the program are assigned a mentor and an interim advisory committee. The permanent committee for each trainee will be appointed when the research project has been identified. Trainees will participate in a specially designed research rotation program according to their primary interests. Trainees are required to conduct caries related research in a basic science department. These departments are Biology, Biochemistry, Biostatistics, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Pharmacology, Biophysics, Microbiology and Immunology, Physiology, and Pathology. Trainees will also be provided with clinical experience related to dental caries through participation in ongoing clinical research programs in a variety of areas, for example geriatrics, and will make field visits of ongoing clinical trials. Cariology trainees will not receive training in a recognized specialty but will be able to evaluate and prescribe treatment for caries-prone patients in a hospital setting. The interdisciplinary program is expected to provide the dental scientific community with creative and highly skilled persons in the field of cariology.
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