Hi, and welcome to Dentistry 101. Today, we're going to talk about research in dentistry, and we have the pleasure to have Dr. Peter Polverini with us today. Dr. Polverini is a faculty in research at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He has been published actively for the last few years, and he has over 158 publication so far. So, Dr. Polverini, thank you so much for coming. [inaudible]. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here today. So, with research in mind, I was about to ask you, what is the research that's been conducted at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry? One thing I think that makes the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan really unique is because the diversity of research that's there. Certainly, there's a heavy investment in craniofacial research looking at developmental defects, looking at the normal development of the craniofacial complex, but there's also significant investment in stem cell biology, in cancer research, in the understanding of the biological basis of wound healing, and a fairly substantial clinical research commitment. So, I think what makes the School of Dentistry so unique is how diverse its research portfolio is, and how deep the sciences and the quality of people conducting the research. So, it's very, very unique among most dental schools. Okay. How important is to have a strong research program in the dental institution? Well, I mean, I think if you consider yourself a profession, I think there's an obligation, particularly a learned profession that you be at the cutting edge of advancing the field. I think all dental schools really have a major commitment to pursue the very best research they can because it's their profession is going to advance. If new technologies are going to be implemented, it really should be the profession itself that's in the lead scientifically in developing this technology. All the advances in the biosciences that will have a direct impact on dentistry and the other health sciences, I think are important that we participate in that process and I think it's really central to, again, a learner profession that they take an active role in essentially determining their own destiny. Very good. What is the benefit of the research institution, intensive institution program for the DDS students that who are graduated? Well, I think dental students who are at schools that have made a commitment to do research, I think really understand that have a deeper understanding of the biological basis of their profession. I think they understand the impact that the work has on the patients they'll be treating, and I think it teaches them to be critical thinkers in a very broad sense. So, it's not only in terms of understanding the very basic research, but also understanding the clinical research and how it impacts all of the health sciences. So, those students that are part of a university that is invested in research, I think have a much deeper understanding of the value it has to their profession and they're going to make informed decisions and capable of merely changing as the science progresses in their own practice. Okay. Many of our listeners will be undergrad students and young students that are thinking in dentistry. In your opinion, what's the best time that you can advise them to start to do research? Well, I mean, I think as any opportunity that arises, we can actually ask unique questions. I think it's your advantage to take advantage of it. Whether it'd be in high school project, working with other groups of students. Whether it'd be as an undergrad in college, any opportunity, anytime that allows you to explore questions and test hypotheses, I think there is no right time to do it. Whenever the chance arises, you should take advantage of it. It just gives you an opportunity to make some decisions about, is this the area that I want to study as I go on, is this the type of profession I want to pursue? I think when you understand the science, you can make a much more informed decision about your career path. Let's change gear a little bit. Sure. Talk about your experience. Okay. So, what really motivated you to be engaged and involved in research? Well, I think I really started when I was in undergraduate school. I had taken a couple of elective courses in a medical school at Marquette University, where I was a student, and I was just falling in love with the idea of actually doing research, working with senior faculty. Then, when I went to dental school, after taking my first course in pathology, I said, "This is what I wanted to do for the rest of my career, is to understand the pathologic mechanisms of disease." So, my decision was to pursue a specialty in oral and maxillofacial pathology, which allowed me to see as they say, "disease on the hoof." From that, you seen that, it allowed me to really think very deeply about causes of disease and that, in turn, made my decision to go on and to combine a career in research with the practice of pathology. That's what I've been doing for 40 years now and it's just been a wonderful experience for me. I'd not change a thing if I had to do it all over again. Very nice. What is your training path you choose? Again, after dental school, I decided to go into a specialty training that combine a rich research experience at Harvard University at that time. They still have a doctor medical sciences program and would allow people who wanted to pursue a clinical specialty. They could also do quality research that in which there was a thesis. Of course, going to Harvard, I was able to work with some of the best people in the world. From that point, after spending five years there, it really set the path for my career going forward. I had a wonderful rich experience working with some of the best people in the world there. I had a great opportunity to learn different areas that I could think about pursuing as a faculty member, but it was really my experiences at Harvard as a graduate student that really solidified my decision to go into research. Then, when I finished my training, I wind up going to University of Pittsburgh for three years. Then, I was recruited by Northwestern University's medical school. They had the responsibility at the time for hiring faculty to teach dental students pathology, and they had a diagnostic pathology, oral pathology program. So, being in the medical school and having the rich environment of a medical school at the same time teaching dental students and practicing oral pathology, I had the best of both worlds. I had resources, and they set a very high standard in terms of expectations in terms of scientific productivity. So, I think that was a key to my development, not only as a scientist working with wonderful creative individuals, but also as a faculty member. That seems like a very good experience in research, right? It certainly was. Can you resume your bathing research in terms of on the areas that to have been exposed and explored? Yeah. Well, it was interesting when I was at Harvard, at that time, this is back in the early '70s. The university was largely pursuing some very cutting edge research in the field of immunology at the time. The Chair of Pathology where I was a graduate student, he had just won the Nobel Prize for discovering the major histocompatibility complex. So, the school university was awashed in antibodies, let me put it that way, and T-cells, but I was in a laboratory and there were two laboratories at the time pursuing research in vascular biology. So, I happen to be at the right place at the right time working with two of the best laboratories in the world, probably one of the few at the time. That's where I made my investment in understanding the vascular biology standpoint of chronic inflammatory disease. Then, that eventually led me to really pursue the impact of inflammation and cancer biology in vascular disease. So, all this blend of vascular biology and cancer biology turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for me to really think very differently about the impact of the science on disease in general, not only just cancer, but disease in general. So, I blended those two fields throughout most of my career, and turned out to be, in my case, I couldn't have been happier doing that. Now, that is a fascinating career, and thank you so much for coming and interviewing with us. Oh, it's my pleasure. My pleasure. Thank you so much for watching.
