Dr. Magda Feres, an internationally-recognized scholar who served as dean for Dental Research and Graduate Education and chair of the advanced Graduate Program in Dentistry at Guarulhos University in Brazil, has been named to lead Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s (HSDM) Department of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity (OMII).

Feres is an alumna of HSDM and received her Doctor of Medical Sciences degree in Oral Biology at the School while conducting clinical and translational research at The Forsyth Institute, for which she received a certificate in microbiology. She also holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Gama Filho University, a Master of Science in Periodontology from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and a Master of Business Administration from Guarulhos University.

Her research program focuses on oral and periodontal microbiology and the clinical outcomes of periodontal and peri-implant therapies. Feres’ work has been funded by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development in Brazil, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and other national and international governmental agencies and foundations.

Feres has been instrumental in creating innovative research and educational programs at Guarulhos University including establishing the university’s Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and a Center for Clinical Trials, the Young Scientist Program, and the Forsyth/UNG Student Scholars Undergraduate Summer Program. She is well-recognized as an inspirational mentor to graduate and undergraduate students and a strong advocate for the next generation of female clinical researchers. She received the International Association for Dental Research Women in Science Distinguished Female Mentor Award, among other prestigious honors. Feres is also one of the founders of the Latin American Oral Health Association.