Health Themes Event: CAEE Department Seminar

IIT Armour College of Engineering’s Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department will host a seminar presented by Ana Bedran-Russo, D.D.S., Ph.D. from 3:15-4:30 pm on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in Stuart Building, Room 111, on Main Campus.

Dr. Bedran-Russo’s lecture is titled “Bio-Mechanically Inspired Strategies as Potential Novel Dental Therapies”

The tooth is a very complex structure that can be modified over time due to aging and disease process. It is important to understand the biochemical and mechanical properties of the tooth in order to develop reparative/regenerative biomaterials to replace lost tooth structure. In this work, lab studies are conducted to investigate the mechanical and biochemical properties of specific sites in tooth and also investigate the interface between biomaterials and the tooth structures. Using a biomimetic approach, this group identified and validated agents that can strengthen the tooth and consequently improve the properties of the tooth and tooth-biomaterials.

Ana Bedran-Russo is currently and Associate Professor and Director of Applied Dental Materials and Interfaces at UIC college of Dentistry. She received her DDS from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and completed residency and PhD in Clinical and Dental Materials Sciences at the University of Campinas, Brazil. Dr. Bedran-Russo was a post-doctoral fellow at the Universtiy of North Carolina before joining the Department of Restorative Dentistry at UIC. Dr. Bedran-Russo’s Research interests are focused on translational research, biomechanical and biochemical characterization of hard tissue and dental-biomaterials interfaces. She has published over 65 peer-reviewed research articles and 120 research abstracts. Her research studies are supported by federal and institutional research grants. She is involved in the leadership of research associations, serves as the President of the Dental Material Group, and is standing member of the National Institutes of Health study sections.

This lecture qualifies for Engineering Themes credit in Health.