STUDENT PROFILE
Dean Christian Stohler addresses the audience at the opening ceremony.
D E N TA L S C H O O L
Research Year Yields Practical Results, Personal Honors
Clinical lab
the development of faculty and student spaces, scholarships, and future technology needs. With a $1 million bequest, Harry W. F. Dressel, Jr., DDS, Class of 1945, has established a technology endowment fund for future technology enhancements. A member of the Class of 1955, Maurice Lussier, DDS, has made a bequest of more than $1 million that provides funds for a lecture hall, a student lounge, and scholarship funds for dental students. The new facility’s 150-seat lecture hall was named in honor of the Dental School’s Alumni Association through a significant bequest from Howard B. Wood, DDS, Class of 1956. A group of minority alumni collected a gift of more than $100,000 and named a study center in the building in honor of Executive Assistant to the Dean
Official Dedication
The Dental School hosted an official dedication of the new building Oct. 24, during a weeklong celebration that included the dean’s State-of-the-School Address and the Hayden-Harris Associates Gala. The events culminated with the alumni board meeting and annual meeting, and the White Coat ceremony, which welcomed the first group of student “partners” to the new Dental School. c
Bottom left: President David Ramsay; Jessie Krupkin, Dental Hygiene, Class of 2007; and wife of Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Kendel Ehrlich, release banners at the grand opening of the new Dental School building in October 2006. Bottom right: Maureen and Maurice Lussier attend the opening ceremony at the new school.
U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A R Y L A N D, B A L T I M O R E
B Y R E G I N A L AV E T T E D AV I S
Wilhelma “Billie” Garner-Brown, MEd, an administrator with the school since 1980. “It took me completely by surprise,” says GarnerBrown. “I feel honored and grateful that the students thought of me, and that what I wanted to accomplish for them here has been achieved.”
Top right: Associate Professor Stuart Josell (left) and first-year resident Lisa Blickley (right) with Tamia Williams, the first pediatric patient treated in the new clinical setting
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A N NA M U E N C H
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BILL MCALLEN (4)
ome students dream about taking a break from their academic routine. In 2006-2007, second-year dental student Anna Muench is doing just that. Named as a 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Training Fellow, Muench is taking a break from her academic routine to hone her research skills. The coveted fellowships, which are almost exclusively awarded to medical students, include a $25,000 stipend to support full-time training in fundamental biomedical research. With its mission of enhancing science education and integrating medicine into biomedical research training, HHMI has awarded more than $1 billion in grants since 1988. “It’s an incredible honor,” says Muench. “I do feel a special sense of pride being a dental student and receiving this award. I am thankful for the strong research influence at the Dental School, which has provided me with the opportunity to conduct my HHMI research project here under the direction of Mark Shirtliff, PhD.” Shirtliff is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the Dental School. Research results from the talented dental student already have been published in Neuroscience. Her current research, “Determination of the Phenotypic Effect of Mutation in Genes Shown to be Up-regulated in Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms,” examines the up-regulation of genes that cause the development of biofilm— a thin layer of cells, usually micro-organisms—that can coat a surface and cause infection on implants and medical devices. “I am hoping to identify the genes responsible for biofilm formation that affect biofilm viability and could possibly act as targets for antimicrobial and antibiofilm removal strategies,” Muench says. Her investigations have the potential to lead to new therapeutic targets for removal of biofilm infections, particularly
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PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT BURKE
those occurring in the mouth, says Ronald Dubner, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Many chronic infections are caused by biofilms, which are resistant to removal by the host immune system and can only be eliminated by surgical removal of dead tissue, notes Dubner. Dean Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, describes Muench as a “rare, remarkable student. She not only appreciates modern science and biotechnology, but she also demonstrates a unique ability to project the impact of scientific trends on the future of dentistry.” The goal of the HHMI fellowships is to strengthen and expand the nation’s pool of medically and dentally trained researchers. According to HHMI Program Officer Anh-Chi Le, PhD, 66 fellowship awards were given to researchers enrolled in a U.S. medical or dental school. “This is the first year we have made awards to two of the three dental student applicants,” says Le. Muench also participated in the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Short-term Research Training Program in 2005 and 2006. Her 2005 project involved the genetic knockouts of a biofilm-producing strain of bacteria that causes chronic infection. A genetic knockout is an organism in which the genetic material has been altered by sitedirected recombination so that the gene is deleted. “Anna was able to enter the lab and assume complete responsibility and independence in the project, all with absolute success,” says Shirtliff. In May 2007, fellows will convene at HHMI headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md., for an awards ceremony and to present their research. Muench plans to resume her studies at the Dental School in fall 2007 and graduate with the Class of 2009. c 2007
RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP
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