I am a dentist-scientist and an Associate Professor in Endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. My research focus is “dental inflammology” for prevention and cure of dental inflammations; The central goal of my research is to develop novel therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of inflammation-associated diseases and to provide the suitable environment for wound healing and tissue regeneration. Dental inflammations are a consequence of highly complex biological processes including (but not limited to) infection, immune response, bone remodeling, and obesity-associated complications. As PI or co- Investigator/collaborator on institutional- and NIH-funded grants, I have laid the foundation for the dental inflammation research through investigation of disease phenotypes in highly reproducible mouse models, the genome-wide gene expression analyses in these models, and relevant follow-up studies.