A collaborative initiative, led by Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), recently received $4.4 million in funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to establish a novel clinical practice-based research network to train future clinician-scientists over the next five years.
Known as the Collaborative Clinical Practice-based REsearch Program for DENTal Schools (H-CREDENT), the initiative will bring together a consortium of community health centers and academic partners including the Cambridge Health Alliance, Charles River Community Health, Harvard Catalyst, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Meharry Medical College, and the University of New England.
Students who are accepted into the H-CREDENT program will have the chance to engage in training opportunities throughout the consortium. They will participate in clinical research, take courses developed for H-CREDENT which supplement courses in their respective programs, and be part of diverse “learning pods” where they will engage with faculty mentors, subject matter experts, and with students from other institutions.
“H-CREDENT is an exciting partnership that will leverage our collective expertise and commitment to fostering a culture of scientific inquiry, encouraging scientific partnerships between students and research faculty, and stimulating clinical research pursuits across HSDM and collaborating sites,” said HSDM Dean William Giannobile, who will serve as Principal Investigator (PI).
At HSDM, the initiative will leverage the existing Pathways medical and dental curriculum for the School’s predoctoral program and establish a new track with additional curriculum-integrated research time. This protected time will enable students to focus deeply on their research efforts. H-CREDENT is also expected to strengthen the existing research curriculum for both DMD and postdoctoral Advanced Graduate Education (AGE) students in MMSc degree programs, and establish new opportunities for clinical faculty.
“This will have a significant and tangible impact on various aspects of dental education that can lead to the development of innovative teaching approaches, curriculum enhancements, and the integration of new technologies into dentistry,” said Sang Park, HSDM’s associate dean for Dental Education. “It can support the creation of educational materials and resources for dental students that enhance the learning experience, as well as the training and professional development of dental educators, ultimately leading to the improvement of dental education programs and the quality of instruction provided to students.”
H-CREDENT will bridge teaching, learning, and clinical research, giving students entering the program the opportunity to delve into research earlier in their dental training.
“This funding will provide more opportunities for students become engaged in research during their clinical training program, which is so exciting and synergistic with the mission of HSDM,” said Jennifer Gibbs, associate professor and director of the Division of Endodontics in Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences.
For instance, students will have the chance to be involved in clinical research with faculty members like Gibbs, that might evaluate factors that influence post-operative pain resolution after certain dental procedures including root canals, tooth extractions, periodontal surgeries, dental implants, and other procedures.
“Ultimately, we could create an algorithm that can predict which patients will have severe pain or slowly resolving pain after dental procedures. This large multi-centered study will help to give dentists the knowledge in the future to identify those rare patients who experience disproportionate amounts of pain after dental procedures,” said Gibbs.
H-CREDENT will train students, as well as faculty, who are not only highly proficient in conducting clinical studies in varied communities and across patient demographics, but also amplify the aptitude for training, to augment the future clinician-scientist workforce. Initially, forty students a year will be enrolled in the program from HSDM and collaborating institutions. Prospective students for the first H-CREDENT cohort will be recruited in the fall of 2023 through outreach efforts to dental schools nationwide.
