Monthly Archives: June 2016

Welcome Class of 2019!

This week we are excited to add our four newest residents to the program – join us in welcoming them to the Department of Periodontics and if you see them in the hall, stop and say hello!

Yu-Wen “Vinny” Chiu, DDS
Dr. Chiu earned her DDS degree from National Yang-Ming University in Taipei Taiwan in 2011. After dental school she spent two years as a general practice resident at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and then entered the Periodontal post-graduate training program at the same institution.

Jessica Hsu, DDS
Dr. Hsu earned her BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego in 2012 and her DDS degree from Columbia this spring. While at Columbia she was active in the Perio study club and took time to work with the
under-served populations in the area around the University.
She grew up in Houston and is a Sherlock Holmes fan.

Jason Kum, DDS
Dr. Kum earned both his BS in Chemistry in 2012 and his DDS in 2016 from Creighton University in Nebraska. Throughout his university career he has dedicated himself to service to others. Along with operating a successful private practice, Jason hopes to open a coffee shop some day.

Brendan Lopez, DDS
Dr. Lopez earned both his BS in Neurobiology in 2012 and his DDS in 2016 from the University of Washington. While at the UW he dedicated time to working with under-served communities, and outside of school he coaches football camps and trains long snappers to aid their transition to college or professional football.

New Scientist Magazine Interviews Dr. Jeff McLean

Recently, our own Dr. Jeff McLean had a chance to present at the annual meeting of the American Society of Microbiologists in Boston on his groundbreaking discovery of a parasitic bacteria that lives in saliva. After his talk, New Scientist magazine interviewed him about his work, writing

“McLean and his colleagues discovered the organisms by searching for bacterial strains in human saliva samples. Analysing the DNA of all the species they managed to grow from these samples, they came across a mystery fragment of genetic material. This piece of RNA had been discovered by other researchers before, but no one could tell what organism it came from.

McLean’s team has now shown that this RNA belongs to a bacterium that lives on another species, Actinomyces odontolyticus. When the researchers viewed this species under the microscope, they found that the cells were covered with much smaller bacteria – the first species ever discovered to parasitise another bacterium.”

You can read the whole article here, including the discovery’s potential implications for periodontal health. Way to go Dr. McLean!

Congratulations Class of 2016

On a beautiful early June evening the Department of Periodontics, along with family and friends, gathered to celebrate the graduates from the class of 2016:

Dr. Amir Emam, DDS
Dr. Anas Howsawi, BDS
Dr. Michitsuna Katafuchi, DDS, PhD
Dr. Luciana Safioti, DDS

After a program that included a welcome from Dr. Richard Darveau (Chair of the Department of Periodontics) and speeches from Dr. Robert London (Clinic Director) and Dr. Robert O’Neal (Emeritus Associate Professor and the evening’s keynote speaker), the graduates received their certificates.

It was a wonderful event, a time to celebrate their achievements, and an opportunity for the graduates to give thanks to all of the people who supported them throughout their three years at the University of Washington. Continue reading →

Applications Accepted Now for 2017-2018 Academic Year

Our application process for the 2017-2018 academic year is in full swing – our deadline for applying is August 1, 2016 but we urge students to apply early.

Please see our Prospective Students page for information and application materials, and if you have questions about the process, please do not hesitate to contact our program coordinator, Meghan Guillen. We look forward to seeing your application!