A leading model
Written by Jessica Binkley Lain
A non-standard, dual-degree model continues to bring about the next generation of dental clinician-scientists
The Craniofacial Oral-Biology Student Training in Academic Research (COSTAR) T32 program was successfully renewed in 2023, ensuring the future of the nation’s oral health by training students to become dental clinician scientists and help fill the growing gap in oral health research.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of only 17 universities in the country to have a funded dental T32 program. Now in its 22nd year, the program is funded through the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and must be renewed every five years.
This year, the COSTAR program received a renewal score of 10, the highest level possible. The program’s mission: to train a cadre of highly skilled, interactive scientists who can successfully address the expanding opportunities in dental, oral and craniofacial research.
“We have a shortage of dental clinician-scientists across the United States,” said Ken Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, director of the COSTAR program. Hargreaves explained that most dental scientist training programs recruit students from dental school, and these individuals may already be committed to a life of private practice, which contributes to this shortage.
“We were one of the first in the country to adopt a different model where we recruit most of our dental clinician-scientists from [our] Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, recruiting from a group of individuals who already identify themselves as scientists,” Hargreaves said.
92% of entering dentist-scientist trainees have graduated with dual DDS/PhD degrees
The COSTAR program also addresses another problem of most dental scientist training programs in that it considers the long and varied nature of conducting research, which can make it difficult to fit into a traditional curriculum.
“To say that it takes exactly four years to do a PhD is not really a reality. Our model is very flexible,” Hargreaves said, noting the importance of strong social and professional support during training.
With the most recent renewal, the COSTAR program will provide research training through a dual-degree DDS/ PhD program, a PhD program and a postdoctoral fellowship program. Trainees conduct research in important topics such as pain management, infection, oral cancer and tissue engineering and regeneration.
Learn more about the COSTAR program at costar.uthscsa.edu.
