Dentistry News

The UAB School of Dentistry has established Neurobiology and Pain as the newest addition to its research theme structure. The move reflects continued growth in faculty expertise and the increasing importance of understanding complex pain conditions within dental and medical care.

SOD research themes provide a framework for identifying where depth exists and where interdisciplinary collaboration is gaining momentum. They help guide recruitment and investment while clarifying how individual areas of scholarship contribute to the broader research enterprise at UAB.

Orofacial pain and sensory disorders rarely sit within a single specialty. Patients often present with concerns that involve dental disease, neurological function and broader systemic health. The new theme brings together faculty who encounter these intersections in daily practice and examine them from complementary perspectives.

Recent recruitment has strengthened this direction. New faculty members include Presidential Scholar Yu Shin Kim, MS, PhD; Can Wang, PhD, MDS, BDS; Tingxi Wu, DDS, PhD; and John Minh Le, DDS, MD. Their arrival expands the community of investigators addressing pain and related disorders in craniofacial settings.

Organizing expertise within a defined area improves SOD visibility across campus and makes it easier for faculty to connect and partners with investigators in medicine, surgery and the neurosciences. It also reinforces research and training that remain grounded in the experiences of patients seeking care.

“This is an area where the needs we see clinically and the questions we pursue scientifically inform one another,” said Amjad Javed, PhD, associate dean for research. “The additional theme allows us to better address complex questions in oral and craniofacial health.”

Dean Nicolaas Geurs said the addition reflects both opportunity and responsibility as the school’s research portfolio matures.

“Working closely with our departments, recruiting faculty of this caliber strengthens the direction of the institution,” he said. “Neurobiology and pain represent an important dimension of oral health, and we are proud of the expertise our faculty are developing in this space.”

As faculty strengths develop over time, research themes are updated so they continue to represent where activity and collaboration are most robust. The establishment of Neurobiology and Pain marks another step in that progression.