On July 18, the UMKC Summer Scholars program held a closed poster competition to select the UMKC representative for the 2025 Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA).
We’re pleased to announce that Sara Haggard (above, middle) was selected as the winner to represent the dental school as our student competitor at the national SCADA competition hosted by Dentsply Sirona at the Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) Annual Session in March 2025 in New York. Sara’s poster was titled, ‘Wnt5a in Mandibular Bone Mineral Density & Microarchitecture.’ Sara’s mentors were Dr. Erin Bumann (above, left) and Ms. Portia Hahn Leat (above, right).
Talia Thambyrajah (above, right) who presented ‘Effects of the RANKL Inhibitor OPG-Fc on Osteoclast Dynamics,’ was awarded second place. Talia’s mentors were Dr. Sarah Dallas (above, left), Dr. David Moore and Dr. Kun Wang.
This was a very close competition, and the time, effort and preparation from all of the scholars and their mentors was apparent. We want to congratulate everyone on their impressive performances.
2024 Summer Scholars, Mentors, and Projects
Project: Multiple Functions of Novel Dopamine-Derived Biomimetic Crosslinkers in Dentin Bonding
Scholar: Drake Dugan, DDS Class of 2027
Mentors: Dr. Yong Wang, Dr. Viviane Hass
Project: Wnt5a in Mandibular Bone Mineral Density & Microarchitecture
Scholar: Sara Haggard, DDS Class of 2027
Mentors: Dr. Erin Bumann, Portia Hahn Leat
Project: Gene x Gene Interactions in Cleft Lip / Cleft Palate
Scholar: Tia Kahwaji, DDS Class of 2027
Mentor: Dr. Timothy Cox
Project: Decoding Contracts: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Dental Employment Agreements
Scholar: Kylee Meloy, DDS Class of 2027
Mentors: Dr. Melanie Simmer-Beck, Dr. David Thein
Project: Effects of the RANKL Inhibitor OPG-Fc on Osteoclast Dynamics
Scholar: Talia Thambyrajah, DDS Class of 2027
Mentors: Dr. Sarah Dallas, Dr. David Moore, Dr. Kun Wang