(Extra)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004

 

 

Dental Branch student wins for outstanding presentation

 

 

Colin Lathrop, a first-year student in the D.D.S./Ph.D. program at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston won the award for the most outstanding basic science presentation at the 10th Annual Hinman Student Research Symposium, Oct. 29-31, at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

 

Lathrop presented information he spent a year researching during a fellowship at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. His talk, “FGF-7, FGF-10, and MMPs Regulate Mouse Submandibular Gland Branching,” reported on his findings regarding salivary glands and ways to potentially regrow them.

 

“I didn’t go there with any intention to win an award,” Lathrop said. “But it did feel great. I was very pleased. I was also elated that something I’d worked on for a whole year was given recognition. It paid off,” he said.

 

After finishing the dual degree program at the Dental Branch, Lathrop hopes to further pursue dentistry related to oral cancer.

 

Karen Storthz, Ph.D., the faculty supervisor who attended the symposium with the students, said she was proud to say the least. “I beam with pride when observing our students interact with faculty and student researchers from other dental schools,” she said. “They are wonderful ambassadors for the Dental Branch.  I knew the moment that Colin finished his talk that he would win one of the awards.  He did an amazing job with a complex subject and confidently and correctly answered five questions from one judge!”

 

Lathrop was supported by the UT-TORCH program, along with Clay Ainley, Darryl Baucum, Anh Bui, Lan Doan, Valerie Santiago-Doyle, Claudia Guzman and Jeffrey James, who were other Dental Branch students in attendance at the symposium. Dental Branch student Jimmy Miller was supported by a Dean’s Summer Research Fellowship.

 

The Dental Branch had the largest number of students in attendance at the event, sponsored by the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Society and the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry.