b'SCIENCE & INNOVATION2020 Award WinnersContinued from page 43How will winning this award affect your workJessica M. Latimer, DDS going forward? Harvard School of Dental Medicine, I am very thankful to have been recognized byBoston, MAthis award and hope that this will encourage otherWinnerClinical Research and aspiring periodontists to engage in research. I loveClinical Impact Awards, Research that periodontics is an ever-changing landscape withForum Poster Competition innovative techniques and materials constantly beingInterproximal Open Contacts Between Implant developed. I would not have been able to complete theRestorations and Adjacent Natural Teeth are a Risk-Indicator research project without the support of my mentors andfor Peri-Implant Disease: A Cross-Sectional Studylab colleagues, and I look forward to future projects.Were there any significant challenges you facedBriefly explain the results of your winning research.when conducting your research?My research identified interproximal open contacts between implant restorations and adjacent natural teeth as a highly Juggling my research, clinical, and didacticprevalent prosthetic complication and significant risk indicator responsibilities during residency was challenging at times,for peri-implant disease. In my cross-sectional study, over but my program was very supportive. In regard to specifichalf of the implants examined were found to have at least challenges, there was trial-and-error in the developmentone open contact. This condition was significantly associated phase until we could reproducibly fabricate thewith increased plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, Emdogain-containing membranes. Also, harvesting freshprobing depths, and peri-implant disease prevalence. PDL cells was time-sensitive, but thankfully I had helpUltimately, these findings raise awareness to the importance from my co-residents in collecting teeth! Overall, I learnedof monitoring contact status in implant restorations to that having a cohesive plan from the start was vital inpromote peri-implant health and patient outcomes. designing and executing the experiments effectively.What led you to pursue this research topic? WasHow will winning this award affect your work going there anything that inspired your research? forward?As a first-year resident, this experience has set the bar As a resident at the University of Rochester, I wantedquite high. I feel incredibly honored to be recognized for to take advantage of the significant research resourcesmy research and driven to develop my skills as an aspiring available. While in residency, I completed a mastersclinician-scientist. Additionally, these awards have provided degree and connected with my mentor, Dr. Xinpingmeaningful validation of my pursuit of an academic career. Zhang. Her team at the Center for Musculoskeletal Research has been studying the osteogenic effects ofWere there any significant challenges you faced while nanofiber membranes for primarily orthopedic purposes.conducting your research? I was very interested in the translational nature of theirI performed this research during my fourth year of dental research and was inspired to develop a potential newschool. It was challenging to design a study with limited time membrane to treat periodontal bony defects. As such,before graduation. I also had to examine a high number of we came up with the idea to incorporate Emdogainpatients to obtain a sample size with adequate power for my into electrospun core-shell nanofiber membranes forstudy type. This required tremendous time management, periodontal use. determination, and teamwork. What kept you motivated throughout your research project?I was genuinely interested in my research question and the prospect of making a clinically impactful contribution to the periodontal literature was exciting!AAP Periospectives| 44102378_AAOP.indd44 3/18/212:36 PM'