The 17th Annual Scholars Symposium will feature Gerald Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD, as keynote speaker. He will deliver an address entitled “Who Cares About Research, I’m a Clinician.” The talk will kick off the afternoon session, which will be held virtually on Thursday, April 7 beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Kugel is associate dean for research at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Professor of Comprehensive Care. He also serves as course director for Pre-Clinical Operative Dentistry.

Gerald Kugel and Nate LawsonKugel serves on editorial and advisory boards for multiple dentistry journals and has published 130 articles and over 300 abstracts in the field of restorative materials and techniques. He also maintains a private practice in Boston.

Nate Lawson, DMD, PhD, will serve as the faculty speaker, presenting “Biomaterials Research @ SOD.”

A UAB School of Dentistry alumnus, Lawson serves as director of the Division of Biomaterials and program director of the Biomaterials residency program. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials.

The 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 Innovative Research Fellowship, both from the American Dental Association, he has served as an investigator on over 75 clinical and laboratory research grants, and published over 200 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts.

UAB School of Dentistry Scholars Symposium highlights interdisciplinary bench and clinical research by dental students, residents, faculty, and undergraduate students within the school’s five clusters of scientific expertise. The event provides a venue for faculty, staff, students, and guests to learn about and discuss a broad range of topics associated with oral health, dental, and craniofacial research. It also fosters interactions between the School of Dentistry and other schools across campus, as well as the university’s interdisciplinary centers.