Extramural Training Award Recipients

Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)

Ana Paula Piovezan Fugolin, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.

I cannot overemphasize how essential the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program was for my transition to an independent faculty position. This award provided me with all the necessary tools to smoothly transition into an independent role and thrive in this new phase of my career. It is an outstanding program that allows us to create and execute a comprehensive career plan tailored to hone the skills required for building and managing a sustainable and independent research program, leading a team, and mentoring the next generation of STEM trainees.

During my trainee phase, I had the opportunity to pursue advanced training in organic chemistry and participate in various workshops on lab management and mentorship academies. The outcome could not have been better: I successfully transitioned to a tenure-track faculty position with confidence and have since been developing and expanding my research program. It's worth noting that the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program not only played a pivotal role in my transition but also supported my success as an independent researcher, exemplified by the R01 Stephen Katz award I received just one year after establishing my research lab.

I am not only an awardee of this program but also a fervent advocate for its continuation and expansion. I firmly believe that programs like the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) are the lifeblood of our scientific community, empowering aspiring researchers to achieve their full potential and contribute significantly to the field. In summary, this award reshaped my career trajectory, facilitated my establishment as an independent faculty member, enhanced my skill set, and positioned me for success as an independent researcher.

Ana Paula Piovezan Fugolin, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Oral Rehabilitation and Biosciences
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
https://www.fugolinlab.com

Erica L. Scheller, D.D.S., Ph.D.

During my time as an undergraduate I worked with Dr. Leslie Kuhn at Michigan State University. In this first experience with research, I learned the science behind how textbooks are written and how medical decisions are made. It was fascinating and resonated strongly with my desire to build new knowledge to promote human health. I was already set on going to dental school, but Dr. Kuhn encouraged me to consider doing a Ph.D. as well. Around the same time, the University of Michigan had graduated their first dual D.D.S./Ph.D. student, Dr. Darnell Kaigler, and they were planning to expand. I was fortunate to be accepted as the second student into the program, starting at the same time as now Dr. Chad Novince.

During dental school I worked with Dr. Paul Krebsbach to study the role of central versus peripheral leptin signaling in bone homeostasis. I found a great appreciation for everything related to quantitative imaging and visualization of peripheral tissues, and a respect for the physiologic interactions between the diverse neural and metabolic systems that control skeletal health. After graduation, this led me to start a postdoc in bone marrow adipose tissue biology with Dr. Ormond MacDougald, with co-mentoring in neurobiology from Dr. Martin Myers. Initially, I also pursued concurrent Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Residency training. Though I enjoyed the specialty, given postdoc and family needs, which included an infant and a toddler at the time, I ended up taking a step back to focus solely on research.

As a postdoc, it became clear that I wanted to stay in academia. I knew that this would be a difficult path, but with the support of my mentors I developed an application to the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program that was later selected for funding. This opened possibilities in research and academia that were previously out of reach. This became very clear when I attended the Advances in Mineral Metabolism meeting in 2014 as a John Haddad Young Investigator Award recipient. During my short talk to this intimidating group of leaders in skeletal biology, I mentioned that I had recently received a K99 from NIDCR, and that I was hoping to find a place to start my own lab. This led to discussions and interviews, and eventually the decision to join the Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases at the Washington University School of Medicine, a place I had never dreamed a dentist-scientist could find a home. I have now been running my lab at Washington University for 7 years and was recently promoted to Associate Professor, in addition to taking on a new role as the Executive Director of our Center of Regenerative Medicine. I am grateful for the support from NIDCR that started this journey, to the fellowship program officer Dr. Leslie Frieden for her years of help and advice, and to the reviewers for giving me a chance. I look forward to moving science forward day-by-day and to supporting the next generation of dental researchers and D.D.S./Ph.D. students as they navigate their own paths.

Erica L. Scheller, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases
Washington University School of Medicine
Executive Director, Washington University, Center of Regenerative Medicine
President, International Society of Bone Morphometry (2022–2024)

For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), please refer to the FAQs for more information.

Jessica Scoffield, Ph.D.

I received an NIDCR diversity supplement in 2015 to discover novel inhibitors of bacterial biofilms. The goal of the project was to develop and test small molecules in an animal model that could directly target biofilms made by Streptococcus mutans, which is an oral pathogen that contributes to tooth decay, while still preserving the normal oral flora. At the time that I was awarded the diversity supplement I was in my third year of postdoctoral training and working to create a path of scientific independence so that I could become the Principal Investigator of my own laboratory.

The NIDCR diversity supplement was extremely beneficial for my long-term success because it allowed me to present my data at national and international meetings and at the National Institutes of Health Future Research Leaders Conference, which broadened my scientific collaborative network. Furthermore, the diversity supplement supported my postdoctoral training in ways that allowed me to strengthen my scientific skillset and obtain additional data for a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence grant proposal. Ultimately, my experience as a diversity supplement awardee resulted in five first-author manuscripts, three co-author manuscripts, and a funded NIDCR K99/R00 Pathway to Independence grant.

The positive outcomes I experienced as an NIDCR diversity supplement awardee were instrumental in strengthening my competitiveness on the job market and facilitating my transition to independence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Heersink School of Medicine. I started my appointment as an Assistant Professor in 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor, with the award of tenure, in 2023. During the past five years as Principal Investigator of my own laboratory I have been awarded R01-equivalent funding from NIH and was named the Sue Michalek and Jenny Katz Endowed Scholar by my department. Additionally, I have graduated two Ph.D. students (both NIH F31 awardees), and recently received the 2023 Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship, which is the highest honor that a Professor can be awarded by the UAB Graduate School. Overall, the success I have experienced so far in my career is directly attributed to the support I received as an NIDCR diversity supplement scholar, and it has allowed me to create a platform and a positive mentoring environment to train future scientists.

Jessica Scoffield, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Carmen J. Buxó, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., M.Sc.

I received the NIDCR diversity supplement in 2012 for the parent grant, Molecular Genetic Epidemiology of Cleft Lip and Palate. The goal of the supplement was to gather preliminary data on candidate genes and maternal factors associated with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) in Puerto Rican children. I led my research under the guidance of a senior mentor and identified evidence of gene-environment interaction for genetic variants in genes related to absorption of folic acid and peri-conceptional intake of folic acid before pregnancy in an underrepresented Hispanic population.

During the diversity supplement period, I co-authored six publications and reported new findings in which nsCL/P was associated with genetic variations in specific chromosomal regions/genes. My research identified novel/rare genetic variants, which previously have not been studied or reported in Puerto Ricans/Hispanics. The diversity supplement support provided protected time for research, training, mentorship, collaborations, manuscripts, presentations, and grant writing for the K99/R00.

I am the first recipient of the K99/R00 awarded in Puerto Rico. I subsequently received a National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities R21 grant, four administrative supplements, and collaborate on different grants, including an R25 training grant to foster Hispanics into clinical and translational research. I am a professor and the Director of the Dental and Craniofacial Genomics Core at the University of Puerto Rico. I developed and lead the K to R Club to foster research career development of clinical researchers in Puerto Rico.

Carmen J. Buxó, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., M.Sc.
Professor and Director of the Dental and Craniofacial Genomics Core
University of Puerto Rico, School of Dental Medicine

Darien Weatherspoon, D.D.S., M.P.H.

I am a dental graduate of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD). After receiving my D.D.S., I completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency and earned my M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan. I then went on to complete a residency program in Dental Public Health at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and became a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health. I was honored to receive the 2022 NIDCR diversity supplement for the parent project, Baltimore Oral Epidemiology, Disease Effects, and HIV Evaluation Study (BEEHIVE). My supplement research involved administering oral health surveys and collecting oral health clinical data from study participants. The diversity supplement also provided me with valuable experience in clinical research, including clinical and survey data collection, experience working with a collaborative team, and time to take relevant Ph.D. coursework. I was also able to attend grant writing and career-development seminars and workshops, and had time for manuscript preparation.

I am currently an Assistant Professor at UMSOD, where I lecture on topics related to dental public health, health equity, access to oral health care, prevention, social determinants of health, and interprofessional education and practice. I am also involved in clinical teaching and pursuing my Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on a part-time basis. My research interests include addressing oral health inequities, improving access to oral health care, improving the oral health of older adults, and addressing oral cancer inequities. I am currently the Principal Investigator on an R21 grant funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities that is examining whether Medicare Advantage is facilitating equity in access to oral health care among Medicare beneficiaries.

Prior to joining the faculty at UMSOD, I was a program official at NIDCR where I oversaw an oral health inequities research portfolio, served on federal working groups, and contributed to the institute’s strategic initiatives.

Darien Weatherspoon, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor
University of Maryland School of Dentistry
Department of Dental Public Health

Last Reviewed
November 2024