in New Orleans. The history re-lives and the legacy continues,” Dr. Kim concluded.
Dr. Phimon Atsawasuwan Receives Biomedical Research Award
Dr. Phimon Atsawasuwan, MS Orthodontics ’11, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics, was awarded the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation’s 2015 Biomedical Research Award. Dr. Atsawasuwan’s award was based on his study, “The effect of microRNA-29 on orthodontic tooth movement.” Partnered with Dr. Xiaofeng Zhou, an Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontics, Dr. Atsawasuwan will work using animal models to investigate roles of microRNA during tooth movement, while Dr. Zhou will help on the technique of laser-captured micro-dissection and analysis of microRNA result.
Dr. Phimon Atsawasuwan. “We expect to gain an insight on how microRNA-29 plays roles in periodontal ligament cells, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts function during tooth movement,” Dr. Atsawasuwan. “We will also investigate if changes of level microRNA-29 will affect the rate of tooth movement in animals.” The Biomedical Research Award allocates $30,000 for one year to each recipient, and six awards are given per year. All applicants must be between three-to-14 years in their academic careers. The award is designed to help orthodontic faculty conduct independent orthodontic and craniofacial biology research. —Joseland C. Nixon
UIC C o l l e g e o f D e n t i s t r y
Dr. Aristotelis Marinis Receives UIC Teacher Recognition Award
Dr. Aristotelis Marinis, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, received a Teacher Recognition Award for the 20142015 academic year from the Teacher Recognition Program (TRP) of UIC’s Council for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The award recognizes the documented excellence of UIC teachers. When considering possible award recipients, the award committee reviews considerations such as an instructor’s peer reviews, student evaluations and unsolicited letters and comments, and student achievements. Dr. Marinis Dr. Aristotelis Marinis. was notified in December of 2014 of the committee’s decision to present him with the award. Dr. Marinis is extremely grateful to those who supported him along the way. He said, “I would like to thank my department for all the support that people provided me; my colleagues Dr. Stephen Campbell and Dr. Fatemeh Afshari, Prosthodontics ’09, MS Oral Sciences ‘09; and Dr. Judy Yuan for her mentorship. I would also like to thank all the faculty and staff for creating the best environment for teaching and mainly the residents for making me happy every day with their motivation and dedication to achieve their best.” —Joseland C. Nixon
Dr. Ales Obrez Receives Dr. Jon Daniel Award
Dr. Ales Obrez, PhD ’92, Associate Professor, Restorative Dentistry, has been conferred the College’s 2015 Dr. Jon Daniel Teaching Award. Dr. Obrez received the award from Dean Clark Stanford and two previous Daniel Award winners, Dr. Blasé Brown, Clinical Assistant Professor, Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, and Dr. Alison Doubleday, Assistant Professor, Oral Biology, at a recent faculty meeting. The Daniel Award was established in 2010 in memory of longtime Oral Biology faculty member
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