Lasting Impressions | Fall 2014

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 5 including dental tissues. This is a multidisci- plinary research project that requires expertise from various disciplines,” she said, adding that the CCR will provide a forum for her team to initiate collaborative research projects. During the past five years, Garcia-Godoy, assistant professor and director of clinical research, has conducted 15 clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effi- cacy of oral hygiene products for industry spon- sors and has secured external funding in excess of $1 million. Garcia-Godoy’s studies in oral hygiene and teeth whitening could benefit, she believes, from those involved in other areas of medicine too. From her experience in clinical research, she maintains that external funding companies such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate, and other large companies will be attracted by the multidisci- plinary approach that the CCR will foster. “This can definitely be a selling point to these kinds of sponsors,” she said. Singer, the director of the CDM’s master’s degree program and interim director for post- graduate orthodontics, envisions clinical facilities with dental patients “that would open the door for greater scientific resources and collaborative interactions.” Plus, he said, the center could provide the environment for long-term clinical studies on wide-ranging topics that have not been considered previously. The idea he’s most enthralled by, however, is what scientific curiosities the facility could cultivate. “It’s very interesting and exciting, yet difficult to predict where those paths might lead.” NSU is funding the center using a combination of its own reserves and tax-exempt financing. Niessen doesn’t mind sharing her piece of the dream for the College of Dental Medicine’s alignment within the CCR. “Theoretically, we’d love to have a wing of the facility devoted entirely to dental research. Nothing is in concrete, but we’re only a donor away,” she said. Niessen would be only too happy to name the wing in the potential donor’s honor. “For someone who would love to be aligned with the cutting-edge research in the field of dentistry that we’re already doing here, and which will grow even more with the addition of the CCR, it’s a perfect fit.” u The Center for Collaborative Research will have an impact on the College of Dental Medicine’s researchers such as, far left, Richard Singer. At left, researcher Umadevi Kandalam (center) works with dental students Shruthi Lakshmana and Anna Purna Bondalapati (right). Below, Cristina Garcia-Godoy is also part of the research CDM team.