Joined the Institute: 2006

Education and training: DDS and graduate work in computer science, University of Iowa; MS, oral biology/pain, and residency in anesthesiology/pain, University of California, Los Angeles.

Overview/research interests: Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), orofacial pain, developing and evaluating the impact of clinical decision support tools to improve the quality and safety of dental care for patients with chronic medical conditions; development and evaluation of consumer health information technology, and preventing and managing chronic pain.

Current research activities and funding:

• Principal investigator and director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research’s TMJ Implant Registry and Repository.
• Principal investigator on a health informatics grant from the Agency for Research and Quality to develop decision support tools for dentistry to improve quality and safety of dental care for patients with chronic medical conditions.
• Coinvestigator on a dental simulation training grant through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research