Crystal Schaeffer, RDH, from the Midwestern region, joined the FreSH study to enhance her understanding of tobacco use. She shares her experiences addressing tobacco use with patients, her team’s recruitment strategies for the study, and the valuable training she received from the PBRN. Crystal says being in the FreSH study has made her eager to continue helping people quit smoking even after the study concludes.
Crystal Schaeffer, RDH, from the Midwestern region, joined the FreSH study to enhance her understanding of tobacco use. She shares her experiences addressing tobacco use with patients, her team’s recruitment strategies for the study, and the valuable training she received from the PBRN. Crystal says being in the FreSH study has made her eager to continue helping people quit smoking even after the study concludes.
Dr. Yadav, with over two decades of clinical research experience, acknowledged the limitations of single-center studies with small sample sizes and restricted boundaries in addressing real-world dental challenges.
Dr. Brittaney Hill, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago, recently joined the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Dr. Hill saw the potential for the network to greatly impact the teaching and practice of pediatric dentistry. “Creating a network of practitioners with different experiences, expertise, and ideas will only enhance the quality of research that the pediatric profession produces,” says Dr. Hill.
Romesh Nalliah, the Associate Dean for Patient Services and Clinical Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Cariology and the Department Restorative Sciences & Endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, gives a testimonial about his experience and the benefits of conducting research as a part of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.
Ashley Spencer, BSPH and Node Coordinator for the Southwest region, was awarded a Best Poster Presentation at the 13th Annual Frontiers of Translational Science Research Day, hosted by the Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA), in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) Research Centers in Minority Institutions and Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, founded and hosted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, is now home to the nation’s first dental implant registry.
“Being a member of the network gives me a fresh outlook on dentistry. I believe it cuts down on burnout. To be involved in practice-based research network makes the daily practice more interesting to be involved in the studies. Plus, I think it provides so real life, real practice information that is helpful for the research that is being done. My patients always have a positive attitude about being participants. We have not had many people decline participation.”
