CORAS 2026
Dental student Alexander Brant explains the research he worked on alongside Dr. Ramiro Murata during CORAS 2026.
The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine held its 11th annual Celebration of Research and Scholarship earlier this month over two days to accommodate the recent snow.
The event, “Oral Health in Rural Communities and Translation of Research,” a traditional favorite among the dental school community, honored scholarly activity, mentorship and research opportunities for students in the dental school and beyond. Students, residents, faculty, staff and representatives from other ECU colleges and schools showcased their work during the event.
The keynote address was delivered virtually by Dr. Rena N. D’Souza, former director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, on Feb. 4, while the poster presentation and awards were held in the Ross Hall Rotunda on Feb. 11.
Dr. Alexandre Vieira, associate dean for research, spoke at the event’s awards ceremony, reminding the audience that research is what drives students, mentors, faculty and the professional dental community to discover, learn and implement the best solutions for patients across rural North Carolina and beyond.
The virtual program featuring D’Souza was led by Dr. Wallace McCarlie, assistant dean for academic success and director of the school’s Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Dr. Ramiro Murata, associate professor in the Department of Foundational Sciences and a prolific researcher, also provided leadership for the event, as well as Lisa Finch, Office of Research manager.
“We are privileged to meet virtually with each other to celebrate our research and scholarship,” McCarlie said, detailing the school’s history in research as an essential part of its foundation. Dr. Vieira has recently noted that ‘research should be considered an essential part of dental education; it should be in the fabric of everything we do.’ We understand this, and we also understand that we learn greatly from our students and that students themselves can be generators of discovery and innovation.”
Dental school Dean Dr. Greg Chadwick also welcomed the audience to the program, noting that the event “serves as a very visible opportunity to showcase the importance of research and scholarship to our school, our university and our profession — and ultimately to the benefit of our patients in North Carolina and patients around the world.”
Chadwick said research is “a unique opportunity that we have as an academic community to improve oral health and overall health and to reflect on what we can do to address new challenges and explore new frontiers.”
ECU Provost Chris Buddo spoke about the importance of research as part of the educational experience for students, faculty and other scholars.
“This event is one of my favorite kinds of gatherings because it shines a light on what universities do best — we ask important questions, we test ideas with rigor, we learn from one another, we translate discovery into better health and stronger society,” Buddo said.
Dental student Yushan Xie shares her research poster with classmates and colleagues during CORAS 2026.
Before she began her keynote address, D’Souza praised ECU and the dental school for their research efforts, noting the university’s R1 status among higher education institutions. She said the school itself is building an international reputation based on its mission, leadership and efforts of discovery, from the school’s earliest days.
D’Souza congratulated Chadwick and other leadership “for staying the course, for starting something new — you have created an entity that is unique in this country and is well positioned to enter a new era of success,” she said.
“The fact that our world is changing is an understatement,” D’Souza said. “I used to say that before COVID, but now I can say it has changed. What that means is everything we do, everything we’ve thought about, we can do better, so we adapt to these changing times. We also have out great Albert Einstein, my hero, who has told us that we cannot solve problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
D’Souza also emphasized the “place in history that dentistry occupies,” she said, comparing that “trade-like profession” to the more modern profession that is a vital part of overall health.
D’Souza said that research is a key to dentistry continuing to impact overall health as well.
“As we are in the classroom, we take the responsibility of sharing the most current knowledge, encouraging free thinking and debate and new thought,” she said. “It has to be transmitted to the classroom, because the future of our profession lies in the trainees that we are going to graduate. In the clinic, it’s important to always bring that new knowledge to the patient-side care. In my opinion, clinicians are the most valuable researchers for that profession.”
D’Souza also detailed some of her own research over the course of her career.
After the researchers showcased their posters on Feb. 11, the category winners were announced. They include the following:
Category Winners
Basic Discovery
Winner: Alexander Brant, Dr. Ramiro Murata
Poster title: Candida albicans Mediated Regulation of HIV 1 Infection”
Case Reports
Winner: Bianka Soos, Hannah Propost, Dr. Hannan Elgendy
Poster title: “Clinical Performance of Structural Color-Based Shade Matching in Single – Shade Resin Composite Restoration-Case Report”
Community Dentistry/Clinical Research
Winner: Delaney Hill, Camilia Crescente, Dr. Linda May, Dr. Vanessa Pardi, Dr. Ramiro Murata
Poster title:”Cut the Cord: Presence of Oral Bacteria in the Placenta”
Dental Education
Winner: Dr. Taneet Ghuman, Ms. Nikki Teel, M. Moses, K. Reinsmith-Jones, Dr. Mark Moss
Poster title: “Integration of Social Work and Dentistry at East Carolina University”
People’s Choice Award
Winner: Delaney Hill
Poster title: “Cut the Cord: Presence of Oral Bacteria in the Placenta”
Travel Award Winners
HINMAN Student Research Symposium Award (October 2026)
Winner: W. Josh Bozeman, Mentors: Dr. Xiaoxi Cui and Dr. Wenjian Zhang
Poster title: Effect of Implant Crowns on Adjacent Natural Teeth
AADOCR Research Day Travel Award (March 2027)
Winner: Henry Browning, Mentors: Dr. Xiaoxi Cui and Dr. Wenjian Zhang
Poster title: “The Effectiveness of Dental Radiology Interpretation Orientation on the Diagnostic Performance of Dental Students”
DENTSPLY Sirona Award (March 2027)
Winner: Blake Henkel, Mentor: Dr. Ramiro Murata
Poster title: “Antifungal Activity of Polyprenylated Benzophenones Against Oral Candida Species”
Special Needs Award Winner
Winner: Marlene Dontsop, Mentors: Dr. Nikki Tucker and Dr. Mark Moss
Poster title: “Dental treatment Considerations of pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder”
Honorable Mention
Winner: Lauren Carter, Mentor: Dr. Saulo Geraldeli
Poster title: “Design and Evaluation of Antibiofilm Dental Adhesives Incorporating Marine Alkaloid-Inspired”