Meet Student Researcher Colby Godwin

Colby Godwin

Colby Godwin is a native of Kenly, N.C., an alumnus of the ECU Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences (BS, 2018) and a second-year dental student at the ECU School of Dental Medicine. For the last two years, Colby has been investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of natural plant extracts and their potential use for oral wounds, ulcers and mucositis secondary to cancer therapies. Working with mentor, Dr. Ramiro Murata, assistant professor in the Department of Foundational Sciences, Colby’s latest research has focused on extracts from Arrabidaea chica, a Brazilian plant, on inflammatory signaling pathways with oral cells in tissue culture.

Colby began his research in Dr. Murata’s laboratory in 2018 as a Summer Research Scholar prior to his formal enrollment in dental school. He has presented his research at the 2019 International/American Association for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) meeting in Vancouver, where he was the only student from the state of North Carolina to receive a $1000 travel grant. He will present a poster at the upcoming 2020 IADR/AADR meeting in Washington, DC, in March. Colby is the current president of the school’s Student Research Group. He is thinking about a long-term career that combines clinical care of patients, academics and cutting-edge research.

Godwin said, “The ECU School of Dental Medicine has gone above and beyond to support my research interests and goals during my time as a predoctoral student. I gained much experience performing basic science research in undergrad, and I was able to translate the skills I developed then into the research I am conducting now. My project with Dr. Ramiro Murata and our collaborators in Brazil has been a rewarding endeavor with promising results. We are currently writing a manuscript for publication later this year. Research has been an impactful extracurricular experience for me, and I hope to continue to have the opportunity to be a part of the research world throughout my career.”