Alexandria, VA – The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) announced that it has selected Lauren Kress as the 2025 AADOCR Gert Quigley Government Affairs Fellow.
The Gert Quigley Fellowship is designed to familiarize graduate-level students with the federal legislative process in the context of dental, oral, and craniofacial research and the oral health care delivery system. As part of the Fellowship, Ms. Kress will complete a short work stay at AADOCR headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and will serve a one-year term as a voting member of AADOCR’s Government Affairs Committee and as the government affairs liaison to the AADOCR National Student Research Group (NSRG).
Ms. Kress is currently enrolled in the combined DDS/PhD program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ School of Dentistry. Her research is conducted in the school’s Lima Lab where she and other scientists are investigating how oral bacteria interact with their surroundings and how such interactions affect multispecies community development and human health. Ms. Kress’ current research explores the impact of protein acetylation on the function of the BfrAB two-component system in Streptococcus gordonii, and she is seeking to better understand the role of transcriptional regulation and post-translational modification of proteins on the ability of oral pioneer colonizers to form biofilms and lay the foundation for dental plaque formation.
Ms. Kress, who is currently the Midwest Regional Representative for the NSRG, has also taken on leadership roles at the University of Minnesota, including serving on the school’s Student Research Group Leadership Board, acting as Representative to the Council of Graduate Students (COGS), and Student Representative to the Oral Biology Faculty. In 2024, her team received one of three Health Equity Awards at her school’s CLARION Interprofessional Case Competition, which engages health professional students to find creative solutions to complex challenges in today's health care system.
The Gert Quigley Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for AADOCR student members to learn how the legislative process works and interact with key federal policymakers. “We are excited to have Lauren join our government affairs team and represent the voice of students in our advocacy program,” said AADOCR Chief Executive Officer Christopher Fox.
About AADOCR
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being. AADOCR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit, and private-sector institutions who share our mission. AADOCR is the largest division of the International Association for Dental Research. Learn more at www.aadocr.org.
