Summer opportunity
Our researchers
Find out how our researchers push the boundaries of knowledge to provide real-time solutions to the most pressing challenges affecting patients, caregivers and decision-makers.
| Department | Faculty Members |
|---|---|
| Dental Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences |
|
| Oral Biology |
|
| Preventive Dental Science | |
| Restorative Dentistry | |
| School of Dental Hygiene |
Research clusters
| Research Area | Lead Investigator(s) |
|---|---|
| Biomaterials | Rodrigo França |
| Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology | Devi Atukorallaya |
| Educational Research; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Oral Health Education | Dieter J. Schönwetter |
| Neurobiology and Recovery of Pain/Trauma (Anxiety/Pain; Mental Health) | Gilbert Kirouac |
| Oral Microbiome, Taste Biology, and Microbial Pathogenesis | Prashen Chelikani and Kangmin Duan |
| Oral/Public Health (Child/Adult; Data Analysis) | Robert Schroth |
Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group
Funding and resources
The Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry is committed to funding research and supporting our principal investigators. Here are some examples of places to start looking for funding.
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Office of Research Services funding database
The Office of Research Services (ORS) maintains a searchable database of upcoming major funding competitions from local, provincial, national and international sources that is updated weekly.
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Funding application approval form (FAAF)
Once you have found funding, make sure you have filled out your funding application approval form. This information is required to complete a compliance review and to secure the needed signatures.
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Research Ethics and Compliance
The Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry is committed to following all ethics requirements and protocols as set out by the Office of Research Ethics and Compliance.
Research day
Research being conducted at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry is making an impact across Canada and around the world. This can be seen year after year on ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects for dentistry and oral sciences. In 2025, the UM dental college was ranked No. 5 in Canada of the top 101-150 in the world.
Session 1: Pediatrics and dental-clinical
External visiting speaker
Title: Holistic interventions to tackle early childhood caries and promote
oral health equity
Speaker: Dr. Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, professor of dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) in the Department of Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center; director of EIOH Clinical and Translational Research Core; node director of the northeast region of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network
Internal speaker
Title: Public health approaches to improve access to oral health care and oral health status for young children in Canada
Speaker: Dr. Bob Schroth, professor, Departments of Preventive Dental Science and Pediatrics and Child Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba; research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba
Session 2: Cancer and oral biology
External visiting speaker
Title: Transcriptomic correlates of immune evasion in head and neck cancer
Speaker: Dr. Pinaki Bose, associate professor, Departments of Oncology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary; scientific lead, Precision Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics (POET) program, Cumming School of Medicine and the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute; director of tumour biology and translational research for the Ohlson Research Initiative (ORI) and
scientific lead for the Calgary Global Medical Education (CGME) program
Flash talks — residents, graduate students, BSc Dentistry students
Title: Comparison of intra-articular injection of PRGF and corticosteroid when used as an adjunct to temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis: A blinded randomized control trial
Presenter: Dr. Derek Oryniak, OMFS resident
Title: Differential responses to Wnt signaling modulation during tooth development in surface and cave morphs of astyanax mexicanus
Presenter: Nafees Zahra Rizvi, OB PhD student
Title: Functional role of bitter taste receptor T2R14 in oral cancer cells: Association with calcium signaling and autophagy
Presenter: Manikanta Kella, OB PhD student
Title: Dental treatment among CDCP patients at a Canadian Dental University Clinic
Presenter: Malea Penner, BSc(Dent) student
Title: Utilization of silver diamine fluoride by dentists in adult patients in Canada: A review of the non-insured health benefits dental claims database
Presenter: Muhammad Abdullah, BSc(Dent) student
Title: Association between periodontitis and obstructive sleep apnea
Presenter: Dr. Suraya Dhalla, periodontics resident
2026 research day sponsors
- CancerCare Manitoba
- The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)
- Colgate Total
- Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) – Cash awards for flash talks
- Manitoba Medical Services Foundation (MMSF)
- Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
- Research Manitoba
You may also be looking for
Contact us
Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry
Room D113, 780 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba – Bannatyne Campus
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2, Canada