As a clinician scientist, my main goals are to conduct basic science/clinical research and to someday translate the findings directly to patient care. As an American Association of Endodontists Educator Fellow, my other focus is to optimize the educational experience in endodontics for dental students and residents. Currently, my research efforts involve the following in collaboration with several faculty members in the Behavioral Sciences, Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Oral Epidemiology and Public Health Dentistry Divisions within the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences:

1. Basic science: understanding the molecular mechanism of bacterial pathogenesis in root canal infections and elucidating the process of periapical bone breakdown upon endodontic infection using cell-based and invivo studies
2. Prevention: defining the risk factors to pulpal injury through case-control studies
3. Therapy: developing a novel method for crack-tooth repair
4. Educational: unraveling the stress components in clinical endodontic training from observational studies