AADOCR NSRG Councilor Candidate 2024-2025
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
Minneapolis, MN
Graduation Date: 2029
Reasons for Running
Working as a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health allowed me to experience firsthand the impact of basic science research on clinical care and instilled in me a passion for promoting accessible research. During my fellowship I co-wrote a perspective for the Journal of Dental Education titled "Early pathways to research at the NIH", wherein we encourage future dental professionals to take advantage of NIH training programs.
As a DDS/PhD student at the University of Minnesota, I remain inspired to engage students in research efforts. Alongside the Minnesota Dental Student Research Group I work to integrate clinical and research programs at my school. I also mentor dental student researchers through the School of Dentistry's summer program, aiming to understand their unique perspectives and foster their continued participation in research.
Hoping to expand these efforts, I became a NSRG Midwest Regional Representative. In this role I help facilitate communication between student research groups at numerous schools. From my own experiences connecting with student leaders and researchers, I believe we serve as an invaluable resource to each other. As NSRG Councilor, I hope to ensure all students have access to mentoring opportunities, thereby strengthening our network of future dental professionals and educators.
Research Conducted:
Complete list of published work is available here www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/sarah.aitken.1/bibliography/public/
- Role of Streptococcus gordonii Adhesins in Development of Dental Plaque, University of Minnesota (01/2022 - present). Investigating interactions between salivary glycoproteins and S. gordonii, a pioneer colonizer of the tooth surface. We aim to develop strategies to modulate dental biofilms, leading to new therapies for oral infections.
- Impact of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor on Oral Development, National Institutes of Health (09/2019 - 06/2021). Determined effects of a FGFR1-3 inhibitor on stages of tooth development in juvenile rats to inform clinical studies. Co first-author publication in review.
Student Activities:
- Midwest Regional Representative, National Student Research Group (05/2022 - present). Connected with local student groups to update NSRG records. Joined the Publication, Scientific Group Award, and Resource Development committees. Named a 2022 Outstanding Regional Representative.
- Biofilms and Microbial Communities Club Student Liaison, UMN (01/2022 - present). Invite and introduce speakers for monthly seminar series and yearly symposium focusing on a range of topics in microbiology.
- National Institutes of Health Academy Fellow (09/2019 - 05/2020). Participated in roundtables on healthcare and policy ethics. Created a module for the class on oral health disparities.