Category: News

The University of Washington (UW) spring elective course Global Oral Health (DENTEL 520A) has featured interactive lectures, guest speakers, and immersive team-based projects to teach students about global health inequities and the burden of oral disease worldwide. The Spring 2019 iteration of the course incorporated a new component: a partnership with Harvard School for didactics on global health for oral health researchers and practitioners. Enrollment was open to students from both the UW School of Dentistry and the School of Public Health.

Dr. Brittany Seymour, Assistant Professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Ana Lucia Seminario, Director of the Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health, integrated their existing curricula to design the course. Students learned about a wide range of public health topics that impact global oral health, and although Dr. Seymour is based in Boston she was able to give a lecture and meet the students through video conference.

A combination of student feedback and test scores will be used to evaluate the integration of the two curricula, and those findings will inform the structure of the course next year. Additionally, the results of the collaboration between the UW DeRouen Center and Harvard will be presented at the 2020 International Association for Dental Research Session and the 2020 Consortium of Universities of Global Health Conference. Dr. Seymour, Dr. Seminario, and teaching assistant Belle Chen hope that their findings will encourage further collaboration between universities at the classroom level and promote innovation and collaboration in global oral health.

In May 2019, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Office of AIDS Research awarded the University of Washington (UW) Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health an administrative supplement grant to support the continuing research collaboration between the DeRouen Center, the UW Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and the University of Nairobi (UoN). The supplement will be used to advance the ongoing pilot study Children’s HIV Oral Manifestations Project (CHOMP).

Collaboration is one of the four key values foundational to the DeRouen Center, and the supplement opportunity—designed by NIDCR to support interdisciplinary scientific collaborations between CFARs and oral health research organizations—was a perfect fit for CHOMP.

CHOMP, a nested cohort study within the Kenyan Pediatric Study, aims to understand the connection between HIV and oral health in children. The supplement grant hypothesizes that salivary antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) could play a role in decreasing occurrences of oral diseases in children with HIV. With the supplement from NIDCR, the UW and UoN team will transport the saliva samples collected from participants in Nairobi to Seattle, WA where UW School of Dentistry’s Dr. Whasun Chung will analyze them using state-of-the-art technology.

The research team is excited to begin work under the NIDCR supplement. This opportunity will produce new findings in the field of global oral health, leading to improved care for children with HIV and strengthening international collaborative connections.

On February 1^st and 2^nd 2019, hundreds of researchers attended the Inter-CFAR Sub-Saharan Africa Symposium in Machakos County, Kenya. CFAR (the University of Washington/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research) and the National Institutes of Health sponsored the Symposium. The goals of the CFAR-SSA working group include a) promoting new collaborative research opportunities by developing, improving, and fostering multidisciplinary and inter-CFAR research conducted by its members directed at high-priority scientific and public health challenges, and b) mentoring young SSA investigators by providing a unique, collaborative, and cross-institutional capacity building setting for young investigators working in SSA.

This year was the first time the oral health component of HIV was incorporated into the Symposium agenda. Dr. Ana Lucia Seminario of the UW School of Dentistry and Dr. Arthur Kemoli of the University of Nairobi both gave presentations regarding their research in the field. Dr. Seminario’s presentation, entitled “Current research work in oral health and HIV in Kenya,” discussed ongoing studies that aim to understand more about HIV’s effect on children’s oral health and quality of life. Dr. Kemoli’s presentation, “Efforts to increase research capacity at University of Nairobi,” described the collaborative work happening at the University of Nairobi in the realm of oral health training and research. Joining the UW team, Prof. Caroline Shiboski, Chair of the Department of Orofacial Sciences at the University of California San Francisco presented her work on “Oral Diagnostic Tool for Non-Dentists: Evolution of Inter-Professional Collaborations to Advance HIV-related Global Oral Health Research”; Prof. Francisco Ramos-Gomez, Director of UCLA Center for Children’s Oral Health (UCCOH) and Director of UCLA Pediatric Dentistry Advanced Clinical Training Program (ACT), lectured on “Oral Manifestations of HIV in children.”

This is a milestone in the integration of oral health within HIV research at the University of Washington and CFAR. We are excited for this collaboration! More information about this milestone.

The National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has awarded the Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health with a grant to support its first symposium in global oral health. The symposium takes place July 31 on the University of Washington campus.

Global inequalities in the distribution of and access to care for oral diseases represent unresolved societal burdens. Problems to be addressed in the symposium include:

• Fundamental gaps in knowledge and understanding of the multifactorial factors related to oral health.
• Lack of priorities developed with the active participation of the communities in need.
• Limited research in implementation and integration sciences of oral health.

The symposium, titled “Interprofessional Health Care: Adding Oral Health to Interdisciplinary Global Health Projects Worldwide,” aims to provide the appropriate setting for global oral health research beyond focusing solely on oral health. The symposium’s objectives are to:

• Propose strategies to integrate oral and craniofacial research in interdisciplinary collaborations by showcasing past and current worldwide research projects.
• Generate new opportunities for collaboration in global oral health by targeting participation of colleagues beyond dentistry.
• Enhance the DeRouen Center’s existing collaborations by creating a five-year plan for its current lines of research in Thailand, Kenya, Peru, and Seattle.
• Create a pipeline of future leaders in global oral health research by exposing current dental pre-, post-doc students and fellows to global health, and exposing current general pre-, post-doc students and fellows to oral and craniofacial research.

The University of Washington’s Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health has received a grant to support research on African children and adolescents exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The center received a 2018 Regional Development Grant from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), and will share it with IADR’s Nigeria division and East and Southern Africa divisions. The grant will be used to create a sustainable research site to support the AFRICA Project (Advocating For HIV Research In Children and Adolescents).

As part of the grant, junior faculty from Nigeria and Kenya will attend the UW School of Dentistry’s Summer Institute in Clinical Dental Research Methods and also study HIV in the UW School of Public Health. This funding enhances DeRouen Center’s existing collaboration with Kenya and expands its African outreach to Nigeria.

A strategic planning meeting is scheduled in late July at the 2018 IADR annual meeting in London with grant co-investigators Dr. Morenike Folayan of Nigeria’s Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr. Arthur Kemoli of Kenya’s University of Nairobi, and their IADR division leadership.

Dr. Kemoli will also talk at the DeRouen Center’s first symposium on global oral health in Seattle on July 31. More information on the Center’s work in Kenya can be found on the Center’s website.

Timothy A. DeRouen, Professor Emeritus of Global Health, Oral Health Sciences, and Biostatistics, has been named one of the three recipient of the 2018 Fellows Program by the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) along with Susan Herring (UW) and Jeffrey W. Stansbury (University of Colorado).

The award, which was officially presented at AADR’s annual meeting in March, honors leaders of AADR and individuals who have served AADR throughout their careers. It recognizes Dr. DeRouen’s work in oral health research and his extensive service to AADR, including the AADR presidency in 2014-15.

Dr. DeRouen has previously served as Executive Associate Dean and Interim Dean of the School of Dentistry. He is currently the chair of the board of directors of the Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health, which he directed from its establishment in 2013 until 2017.

The center was renamed in 2017 to commemorate his significant achievements and everlasting contributions to our School of Dentistry. The center is hosting its first global oral health symposium on July 31^st, 2018, titled “Inter-Professional Collaboration in Healthcare: Adding the Oral Health Component to Successful Projects Worldwide.” More information on the symposium is available at the UW School of Dentistry website.

Our DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health is partnering with the Global Health Fellows for a 12-month clinical research training fellowship program in Peru.

The Global Health Fellowship Program is a 12-month clinical research-training program for post-doctoral trainees and doctoral students in the health professions, sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in partnership with several NIH Institutes and Centers. Its partnership includes the Universities of Washington, Hawaii, Michigan, and Minnesota with international partnerships in Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Ghana, Peru, Thailand, and India. This year, due to our strong collaborative history and our existing NIH training grant programs, the DeRouen Center is proud to offer the fellowship opportunity in Peru.

 
Research and training ranges across a wide spectrum of health themes, including infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, environmental health, trauma, nursing oral health, policy, and implantation science. It provides an interdisciplinary training environment for the next generation of global health researchers.

The trainee is paired with team of mentors for the duration of the program (both domestically and abroad) that provides theme-specific knowledge, epidemiological support, and career guidance. This valued mentorship curriculum positions grant writers, mentors, and leaders for success in the field of global health.

For more information on eligibility and to apply, please visit the Global Health Fellows website. If you are interested in applying, please contact alsadem@uw.edu.

Second year dental students, Jessica Latimer and Marcus Hwang, have been selected by the University of Washington School of Dentistry to receive the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. This award honors students from each of the University of Washington (UW) Health Sciences schools who exemplify Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles through commitment to addressing community needs, particularly communities of color and low-income, development and implementation of significant programs to improve the human condition, and outstanding efforts to protect and empower all individuals.

In addition to the excellent contributions made by Latimer and Hwang to global oral health research at the DeRouen Center, the pair works to increase accessibility to dental care for underserved communities in Washington State through their 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Husky Health Bridge (HHB). Co-founded by Latimer and Hwang and three other students in November 2016, Husky Health Bridge collaborates with the UW School of Dentistry, AmeriCorps, Medical Teams International, and Greater Seattle Cares in a unique partnership of organizations that enables students to offer free dental services to people experiencing homelessness in city sanctioned homeless encampments in the Puget Sound area. Through monthly outreach clinics, HHB offers both friendship and continuity of care to the individuals it serves.

In addition to improving the health of the local homeless population, HHB engages dental students in immersive volunteer efforts. At each outreach clinic, camp residents give students an inside tour of the tent city and share their experiences. These interactions allow students to cultivate a better understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless in everyday life, especially in regard to oral and dental health. Latimer and Hwang believe that HHB outreach clinics provide much needed dental care to minority and underserved communities, while raising awareness about homelessness and health inequity among students.

Hwang and Latimer have contributed to our communities and truly listened to Dr. King’s call to action: Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in. These students strive each day to make this dream possible.

UW dental students Marcus Hwang and Jessica Latimer, who are serving on projects for the Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health, have been recognized for their exceptional academic achievement and community service.
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Hwang, who studied biochemistry at the UW before entering dental school, received the University of Washington Hall of Fame award as a co-founder of Husky Health Bridge, a student-led community service group that serves homeless people and others at risk. The award recognizes students who have made an outstanding contribution to the UW community.
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Latimer, who is also a Husky Health Bridge co-founder, received the 2016 UW Dental Class of 1951 Legacy Endowed Student Scholarship. This award recognizes students whose academic achievements, creative excellence, and outstanding performance at the School of Dentistry and at the University of Washington puts them at the top of their class.
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When the university hosted Tent City 3 for homeless people, Hwang helped lead dental students in creating two on-site clinics for the camp residents. Within a year, his humanitarian organization has established monthly dental care for Tent City 3 residents and expanded access to dental services for homeless people in the Seattle area.​
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“Winning the University of Washington Hall of Fame Award was unexpected,” Hwang said. “I grew up feeling like I had to struggle to achieve something, but I didn’t feel like that for this award. I simply worked consistently for something that I believed in: that people with more privilege had more responsibility to try to find solutions to problems in the world. I felt a sense of relief that this cause was recognized.”
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Hwang is also a recipient of the 2016 Ray Chalmers Endowed Scholarship at the School of Dentistry.​
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Latimer, another UW graduate, received her BS in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology in 2014. She is especially committed to developing access to health care for underserved communities.
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“Having grown up in Yakima, Washington, I have met many hard-working people who struggle to make ends meet, let alone obtain health care services,” she said. “I believe all people have a right to good health, and I intend to work for this right throughout my professional career.”​
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With Husky Health Bridge, she has served as director of relief efforts. She is also an active member of the Hispanic Student Dental Association and a regular volunteer at the Seattle Union Gospel Mission.
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“I work with a fantastic team of enthusiastic and compassionate students. I cannot be prouder of them,” said Dr. Ana Lucia Seminario, director of the DeRouen Center, who mentors both students. They are also her research assistants.

Dr. Ana Lucia Seminario is the recipient of the 2017 Sunstar Americas, Inc. Research Prevention in Oral Health Award for her team’s research proposal titled “Integrating oral health into the pediatric HIV care continuum: Baseline data of oral and systemic inflammation.” This award will provide a $25,000 grant to support the research project, which seeks to find the association between oral health manifestations in Kenyan children with HIV to advocate for an oral health program in Kenya.
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The project will be incorporated into the Kenyan Pediatric Studies, a National Institutes of Health-funded series of R01 grants for collaborative HIV research by the University of Washington and the University of Nairobi. Dr. Seminario believes that by “researching in oral health prevention we are investing in our general health” and improving the quality of life of many underserved populations.
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​Dr. Seminario will be principal investigator of the project, whose team includes:

• Dr. Jennifer Slyker, Assistant Professor of the UW Department of Global Health
• Dr. Dalton Wamalwa, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Nairobi
• Dr. Arthur Kemoli, University of Nairobi Chair of Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics
• Dr. Georgios Kotsakis, Assistant Professor of the Department of Periodontics
• Dr. Sarah Benki-Nugent, microbiologist and epidemiologist
• Dr. Brandon Guthrie, Assistant Professor in the UW Department of Global Health
• Dr. Eduardo Bernabe, epidemiologist at the King’s College London
• Daisy Chebet, research nurse
• Marcus Hwang, UW dental student

The Sunstar award encourages interdisciplinary collaborative research projects centered on preventive dentistry and focusing on oral complications of systemic diseases; dental caries prevention; periodontal health; social, economic, and behaviorial aspects of preventive dentistry; and more.
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The Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health aims to improve communities’ health by including an oral health component in UW projects worldwide through research and scientific discoveries.