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Oral Biology and Pathology

  • Program Overview

    Department of Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    The Graduate Program in Oral Biology and Pathology, within the Health Sciences Center, offers a program of study and research leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The M.S. curriculum is of approximately two years’ duration and is particularly suited for those graduates interested in pursuing careers in the dental field as well as dental graduates who wish to obtain further basic science training before entering or while obtaining a clinical specialty. The Graduate Program in Oral Biology and Pathology is also of particular interest to industrial-based scientists seeking additional training and advanced degrees. While the Department is interested in all aspects of oral biology, active programs of research presently being conducted include the following: development, metabolism, control of the oral microflora on the teeth and various epithelial surfaces; pathogenesis of periodontitis and gingivitis; interrelationship between systemic and oral diseases; ultrastructure and metabolism of healthy and diseased periodontal tissues with an emphasis on remodeling and matrix metalloproteinases; biology of epithelial growth and differentiation; epithelial gene therapy; mechanisms of epidermal and oral carcinogenesis; wound repair; biology of skin and mucosal grafting; acquired and innate immunity; inflammation and fibrosis, salivary gland biology, mucosal immunology, stem cell biology, and cancer. Further details may be obtained from the graduate program director.

    Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    Interim Chairperson
    Stephen G. Walker, Dutchess Hall (631) 632-8916
    Email: Stephen.Walker@stonybrookmedicine.edu

    Graduate Program Director
    Stephen G. Walker, Dutchess Hall (631) 632-8916
    Email:  Stephen.Walker@stonybrookmedicine.edu

    Graduate Program Coordinator
    Maria Gundy. Westchester Hall (631) 632-3753

    Degrees Awarded
    M.S. in Biomedical Science (Oral Biology and Pathology track) (Thesis and Non-thesis/Capstone Option).

    Ph.D. in Oral Biology and Pathology

    Web Site
    https://dentistry.stonybrookmedicine.edu/dentalprograms/mastersphd#admissions

    Application
    https://graduateadmissions.stonybrook.edu/apply/

  • Admissions

    Admission requirements of Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    In addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements, the following are required:

    A. A bachelor’s degree and grade point average of 3.3 in the sciences and 3.0 overall

    B Original transcripts with three letters of recommendation preferably from professors within the science disciplines

    All applicants are carefully screened by the credentials committee of the department. Interviews and discussions are arranged with faculty members and graduate students where possible. Formal approval for acceptance into the program is given by the Graduate School.

  • Degree Requirements

    Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree in Oral Biology and Pathology

    In addition to the minimum degree requirements of the Graduate School:

    A. All students must complete all or part of the Oral Biology and Pathology Oral Systems course.

    B. M.S. students in the thesis option are required to take 30 credits composed of a combination of coursework (at least two graduate courses selected from offerings within and outside the Department are required) and independent research leading to a thesis. M.S. students in the Non-thesis/Capstone option are required to take 30 credits composed of a combination of coursework (at least four graduate courses selected from offerings within and outside the Department are required), and a capstone project that may have a research component.

    C. Ph.D. students are generally required to complete four to six course offerings at the graduate level and advance to candidacy by preparing a detailed written proposal in the format of a National Institutes of Health research grant application. A public seminar is presented by the student to members of his or her advisory committee, the department, and the University community at large, in which the student defends the proposal. This is followed by a further defense by the student before his or her advisory committee. A determination for advancement to candidacy is then made based on the defense of both the oral presentation and written proposal and forwarded to the Graduate School for official approval.

    D. An original research thesis/dissertation is required for completion of the M.S. (thesis option) and Ph.D. degrees, respectively. For the Ph.D., a public defense followed by an examination of the student’s dissertation by the Dissertation Committee is required. For the M.S. degree, after a public presentation, the student defends the thesis to the student’s thesis committee. If the thesis/dissertation is recommended for approval, the determination is submitted to the Graduate School for final decisions to award the degree.

     

  • Facilities

    Facilities of Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    The Department currently occupies 18,000 square feet of space in Dutchess and Westchester Halls comprised of offices, well-equipped research laboratories.

    In addition, the Department houses two special Core Facilities including: The Living Skin Bank, which can produce clinical grade cell therapies is housed in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology under the scientific direction of Dr. Marcia Simon; and the University Stem Cell Gene Transfer and Viral Vector Core (SCGTC) to provide high titer retroviral and lentiviral vectors for stem cell transduction under the Scientific direction of Dr. Soosan Ghazizadeh.

    In addition, Stony Brook University Supports a number of Research Core Facilities, which are coordinated under the Office of Scientific Affairs. The goal of these facilities is to provide commonly used technologies to the campus, and thus facilitate the research processes.

  • Faculty

    Faculty of Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    Distinguished Professors

    Golub, Lorne, M., D.M.D., 1963, M.Sc., 1965, University of Manitoba, Canada; Cert. Periodontics, 1968, Harvard School of Dental Medicine: Synthesis maturation and degradation of collagen in oral tissues; effect of inflammation on diabetes and collagen metabolism, on the flow and cellular and chemical constituents of gingival fluid, and relevance to diagnosis and management of the periodontal patient; therapeutic potential of tetracyclines as inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases.

    Professors

    Ghazizadeh, Soosan, Ph.D. 1994, Stony Brook University: Epithelial stem cell biology, Salivary gland biology, Tissue regeneration, cell plasticity, cutaneous gene therapy.

    London, Steven D., D.D.S., 1981, Ph.D., 1987 University of Pennsylvania: Mucosal immunity, viral immunology, mucosal vaccine development especially as related to salivary gland inoculation, viral pathogenesis.

    Rifkin, Berry R., M.S. 1964, University of Illinois; D.D.S. 1968, Temple University; Ph.D. 1973, University of Rochester: Educational studies on Bone development, bone resorption and osteoclast biology, enamel and dentin development, and issues in personalized medicine.

    Simon, Marcia,, Ph.D. 1981, Brandeis University: Biology of oral and cutaneous epithelial and mesenchymal cells, retinoid metabolism and the control of differentiations, wound healing, development and assessment of products for treatment of chemical and thermal burn injury.

    Associate Professors

    London, Lucille. Ph.D. 1986, University of Pennsylvania: Mucosal immunity, pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, viral immunology, signal transduction.

    Walker, Stephen G., M.Sc., 1987, University of Guelph, Canada; Ph.D. 1994, University of British Columbia, Canada. Oral Microbial ecology in health and disease; Microbial diagnostics; Antibiotic susceptibility testing. 

    Clinical Assistant Professors

    Jagwani, Raveena Sharma, D.D.S. 2002, Stony Brook University: Diagnostic oral biology and clinical dentistry with a focus on special needs/treatment of patients with xerostomia. Translational oral biology.

    Adjunct Professors

    Rafailovich, Miriam, Ph.D., 1981, Stony Brook University: P roperties of polymers in confinement at surfaces and interfaces, organic/ inorganic nanocomposites, flame retardant polymers, electrospun scaffolds, cell/surface interactions, templated biomineralization, nanorheological measurements, neutron and x-ray scattering and reflectivity from organic thin films.

     

    Research Faculty
    Gao, Jay G., Ph.D. 1989, Institute of Genetics, Fudan University, China Shanghai. Cutaneous and hepatic retinoid metabolism, regulation of lipolysis and lipogenesis,.

    Lee, His-Ming, Ph.D. 1996, SUNY at Stony Brook: α-Proteinase Inhibitors in Periodontal Disease: Serpinolytic Inhibition by Doxycycline,.

     

    Oral Biology and Pathology Program Faculty

    Richard Faber, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Zachary Faber, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Hechang Huang, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Charles Larsen, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Robert Lopatkin, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Wellington Rody, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Antonino Russo, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Robert Schindel, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

    Julio Carrion, Periodontology

    Vincent Iacono, Periodontology

    Srinivas Myneni, Periodontology

    Seyed Bassir, Periodontology

    Georgios Romanos, Periodontology

    Marcus Abboud, Prosthodontics and Digital Technology

    Dan Colosi, Prosthodontics and Digital Technology

    Rafael Delgado-Ruiz, Prosthodontics and Digital Technology

    Mina Mahdian, Prosthodontics and Digital Technology

    Jerome Cymerman, Endodontics

    Thomas Manders, Endodontics

    Clarissa Amarillas, General Dentistry

    Ana C. Botta, General Dentistry

    Ying Gu, General Dentistry

    Miriam Rafailovich, Materials Science and Chemical Engineering

    Chad Korach, Mechanical Engineering



  • Contact

    Oral Biology and Pathology Department

    Interim Chairperson
    Stephen G. Walker, Dutchess Hall (631) 632-8916
    Email: Stephen.Walker@stonybrookmedicine.edu

    Graduate Program Director
    Stephen G. Walker, Dutchess Hall (631) 632-8916
    Email:  Stephen.Walker@stonybrookmedicine.edu

    Graduate Program Coordinator
    Maria Gundy. Westchester Hall (631) 632-3753

    Degrees Awarded
    M.S. in Biomedical Science (Oral Biology and Pathology track) (Thesis and Non-thesis/Capstone Option).

    Ph.D. in Oral Biology and Pathology

    Web Site
    https://dentistry.stonybrookmedicine.edu/dentalprograms/mastersphd#admissions

    Application
    https://graduateadmissions.stonybrook.edu/apply/