Vice Dean (Research)
Acting Vice Dean (Graduate Studies)

Director, Oral Care Health Innovations and
Designs Singapore (ORCHIDS)

Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore

Associate Professor Vinicius Rosa is Vice Dean (Research) at the NUS Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty at the NUS Centre for Advanced 2D Materials. Assoc Prof Rosa’s work promoted striking advances in the field of regenerative endodontics like the regeneration of full-length root canals using stem cells from deciduous teeth and injectable scaffolds in vivo or the derivation of functional odontoblast from human induced pluripotent stem cells that were able to produce pulp and dentin in vivo. He also pioneered the development of novel atomically thin films for the next generation of biomaterials namely graphene-based strategies to improve osteogenesis and decrease biofilm formation on dental and orthopaedic implants. He received the Academy of Dental Materials Student Award (2005), George C. Paffenbarger Student Research Award (2007) and both the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award Young Investigator Award and the IADR/DMG Stephen Bayne Mid-career Award (2021). He is an Associate Editor for Journal of Prosthodontics and editorial board member for Dental Materials, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of Endodontics, JADA Foundational Science and others.

Synopsis

Learn more about the innovative concepts and research methodologies for the development of biomaterials with enhanced biological properties for applications in regenerative dentistry and medicine.

back to top

Provost’s Chair Professor, Director, The
Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM)

Director, The N.1 Institute for Health (N.1)

Head, Department of Biomedical Engineering

National University of Singapore

Professor Dean Ho is Provost’s Chair Professor and Director of the Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM), Director of the N.1 Institute for Health (N.1) and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Singapore. An internationally recognised leader in digital medicine, Prof Ho and his team successfully developed and validated CURATE.AI, a powerful artificial intelligence technology platform that has optimised human treatment for broad indications ranging from oncology to infectious diseases. He co-led the first in-human clinical trials that have resulted in completely halted disease progression and durable patient responses that far outperformed standard of care approaches. Prof Ho is an elected member of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the highest honour for academic inventors. He has been featured on CNN, The Economist, Forbes, Washington Post, NPR and other international news outlets. Prof Ho has served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS), a 26,000+ member global drug development organisation comprising senior executives from the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, as well as academic visionaries. In 2022, Prof Ho was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to advance science and technology. The lifetime honour is one of the most prestigious among academic researchers worldwide.

Synopsis

The lecture will explore clinically relevant platforms and emerging engineering strategies with artificial intelligence to enhance diagnosis and intervention in dentistry and medicine.

back to top

Senior Consultant, Endodontics,
National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore

Associate Professor Victoria Yu Soo Hoon is Associate Professor (Endodontics) at the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Senior Consultant of Endodontics at the National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore. She received her Bachelor of Dental Surgery and PhD from NUS and the Master of Science in Endodontics (MSc with Distinction) from the University of London, United Kingdom. Assoc Prof Yu teaches Endodontics in the undergraduate curriculum and is the programme director of the Master of Dental Surgery in Endodontics at NUS. As Vice Dean (Graduate Studies), she takes care of postgraduate students enrolled in full-time and part-time studies in research and taught courses. She also leads the Faculty in the new NUS Lifelong Learning initiatives.

As a clinical researcher, she works with scientists to find innovative solutions to endodontic problems. Her team is actively studying pulpotomy as a definitive alternative to conventional endodontic treatment and is interested in disruptive technology to protect and preserve the permanent dentition.

Synopsis

From study design to lessons learned in randomised trials, understand the principles and best practices of clinical research in endodontics.

back to top

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Dentistry,
National University of Singapore

Thrust Co-Lead (Dental and Craniofacial 3DP Applications),
NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS)

Dr Gopu Sriram is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore (NUS). He is also the Co-Thrust Lead at the NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS), where he oversees the applications of 3D printing, biofabrication, and other additive manufacturing technologies for oral and craniofacial applications. He received his Master’s in Oral Pathology from India, PhD in stem cells and tissue engineering from NUS, and post-doctoral training in microfluidics and biofabrication technologies from the Institute of Medical Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.

Dr Sriram’s current research focuses on the application and convergence of microfluidics, 3D culture, and 3D printing-based biofabrication technologies. Some of his published and on-going research projects include skin-on-chip, oral mucosa-on-chip, tooth-on-chip, pulp-on-chip, gingival crevice-on-chip and more. Through examining the world of miniature tissues on a microfluidic chip, his team focuses on understanding host-microbiome interactions in periodontal disease, cellular microenvironments, biocompatibility of dental materials, oral mucosal biology, ageing, and regenerative strategies for dental, oral and craniofacial tissues.

Synopsis

Microfluidics and organ-on-chip based biofabrication technologies are emerging as a disruptive tool to reconstruct and emulate miniature human tissues within a credit-card to a thumb drive-sized device. In this lecture, we learn about its application in Dentistry such as the ‘tooth-on-chip’, ‘gingiva-on-chip’, ‘pulp-on-chip’ and more. This will be highlighted with examples that showcase their applications in understanding host-material and host-microbiome interactions in dental and periodontal diseases.

back to top

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Dentistry,
National University of Singapore

Dr Nileshkumar Dubey is currently working as an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore. He earned his Bachelor of Dentistry degree from the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. After graduating along with his clinical practice, he held Dental Consultant and Assistant Manager – Medical Services positions in corporate companies. He worked as a Research Assistant/Research Data Coordinator at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, USA. In 2014, he started his PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National University of Singapore. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, where he received training in 3D bioprinting and electrospinning technology for tissue regeneration and drug delivery applications before joining the National University of Singapore. Dr Dubey has received the Early Career Investigator Award from the New York Academy of Sciences and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. He serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and is also a member-at-large in the International Association of Dental Research (IADR)/Dental Materials Group (DMG). His work has been published in leading journals such as International Materials Reviews, Biomaterials, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Acta biomaterilia, and 2D Materials. His current research focuses on the use of technologies like 3D bioprinting, as well as electrospinning, He is also looking into fabricating personalised scaffolds and tissues for transplantation, with the long-term goal of translating biomaterials and tissues for clinical use.

Synopsis

The lecture will cover the advancement of biofabrication technology which has revolutionised the fields of science and engineering by making it possible to create precise intricate architecture using specific biomaterials and/or stem cells more efficiently than with conventional lab methods for a variety of biological functions including developing tissues or organs and scaffolds for regeneration etc.

back to top

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Dentistry,
National University of Singapore

Consultant, Paedodontics,
National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore

Dr Hu Shijia is currently a consultant in the Discipline of Paediatric Dentistry at the National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore, where he manages the oral health of children. Additionally, he trains dental students and paediatric dentistry residents in his capacity as the undergraduate module coordinator for paediatric dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore (NUS). A graduate of the NUS Faculty of Dentistry, Dr Hu was the winner of multiple academic awards, was on the Dean’s list for multiple years, and was the Valedictorian for the Class of 2008. After accepting the NUS overseas graduate scholarship, Dr Hu completed his residency in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of North Carolina, where he was also awarded a PhD in Oral Biology. Professionally, he is a board-certified paediatric dentist with both the American Board of Paediatric Dentistry, as well as the Specialist Accreditation Board (Singapore). Dr Hu is also currently the President of the Society of Paediatric Dentistry Singapore.

Putting his PhD to good use, Dr Hu is an accomplished clinician-scientist. His research in the field of paediatric dentistry ranges from laboratory studies on material bond strength and toxicity, to clinical studies on treatment acceptance and qualitative studies. His research interests include the use of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in caries control and the oral microbiome in Crohn’s Disease. He has multiple publications in the area of SDF and was recently awarded a National Medical Research Council grant to study the cost-effectiveness of SDF in caries control. With regards to the oral microbiome, Dr Hu published high-impact articles in the area and has been invited to review articles in the area.

Synopsis

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a safe and effective alternative technique to caries management and should form an important addition to every dentist’s armamentarium. However, it is important to know the limitations of SDF in order to use it optimally in clinical situations. We will explore multiple approaches to interrogate the topic of SDF in dentistry in this lecture.

back to top

Senior Assistant Manager, Clinical Research Unit

Lead Manager, NUCOHS Tooth Tissue Bank

Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore

Ms Choo Si Yi and her team are presently supporting more than 20 clinical research projects. The team has also successfully established the NUCOHS Tooth Tissue Bank, where biological materials are readily available for researchers to start their projects expeditiously.

She was keen to explore clinical research after graduating in Life Sciences from Nanyang Technological University with Honours. She joined SingHealth and subsequently worked at a leading multinational corporation managing global and regional clinical research projects.

She joined the NUS Faculty of Dentistry three years ago. She believes the mission of the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) is “to contribute to patients’ health and well-being by providing Principal Investigators the support to design, develop and conduct clinical research projects with research findings which will translate into clinical practice to benefit humanity.”

Synopsis

Understand the various stages of clinical trials as well as the best practices for clinical research in the use of devices, medication, and treatment that are safe and effective in improving oral health, alleviating symptoms and preventing illness.

back to top