Faculty Biographies

My overarching objective as a researcher in the dental-oral-craniofacial field is to understand the molecular mechanisms driving tooth root formation and bring that insight to novel approaches for regenerating tissues and restoring function. To date, specific areas of inquiry have included phosphate/pyrophosphate metabolism and dentoalveolar development and regeneration, developmental regulators of cementum, functions of extracellular matrix proteins in dental development and mineralization, and manifestations of skeletal and endocrine diseases in the craniofacial and dental tissues. More broadly, I am also interested in how knowledge gained from the study of dental-oral-craniofacial connective tissues may also be applied to skeletal development, disease, wound healing, and regeneration.