Dr. Thomas Oates
Dr. Thomas Oates is the Interim Associate Dean for Research and Assistant Dean for Clinical Research at UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Periodontics. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Dr. Oates received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania and received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Oates is Director for the Southwest Region of the NIH-sponsored National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) and Co-Director of the South Texas Oral Health Network (STOHN) focusing on creating evidence that will guide oral health care in the future. Dr. Oates research interests are directed at the interactions of oral and systemic health. Current efforts have been directed toward understanding the implications of diabetes mellitus on implant therapy, oral and systemic health. Dr. Oates serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Periodontology and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. He also serves as a consultant for the Commission of Dental Accreditation and is a member of the ADA National Boards Test Construction Committee. He has provided continuing service to multiple NIH Study Sections as a reviewer since 2007. Dr. Oates has an active faculty practice and has guided the Dental Faculty Practice as Chair of the Advisory committee since 2005. He has been actively involved in School of Dentistry curriculum advancements through multiple task force initiatives and service as an ADEA CCI liaison.
Cell biology Clinical and Practice-based research
Cytokines in pathogenesis of disease
Growth/differentiation factors
Implantology
Interactions of systemic diseases with oral health
Regeneration
Wound healing
Dr. Peggy Putnam Alexander
Applied Clinical Research: Course based teaching duties for traditional dental students including DS3 and 4 Patient Management, DS 2 and 3 Restorative Dentistry
Biomaterials Evaluation: Assessments of diagnostic adjunctive devices for use in implant placement
Dental Implant Prosthetics: Evaluation, restoration and management of dental implants in select group of patients
Etiology of Dental Erosion: Extensive exploration of cultural and behavioral contributions to the loss of tooth structure. Included in this study are mechanisms for intervention and restoration of function
Implant Placement and Restoration: Involved in research comparing healing characteristics of dental implants in persons who are Type 2 Diabetics with controls
Periodontal Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: Examiner in multicenter, randomized, controlled, single-masked Phase III designed to determine if non-surgical periodontal therapy is efficacious in reducing elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
Dr. Devjit Tripathy
UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine and staff physician and director, Diabetes Research Unit, Bartter Research Unit, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital
Botnia Clamp Technique: He described and validated a new method for assessing insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion during the same test- the Botnia clamp (Tripathy et al. Independent measures of insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity during the same test: the Botnia clamp. Diabetes Care 26:1395-401; 2003), which is being used by several investigators.
Pathogenesis and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: Molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance and the mechanism of action of newer anti-diabetic agents. The diabetes research unit is one of the busiest units in the world where a large number of hyperglycemic and euglycemic insulin clamp studies are performed and I supervise and routinely perform these studies. In addition He performs skeletal muscle biopsies during the clamp studies to study insulin signaling in the muscle which requires special expertise.
Adriana Vargas Green
Dr. Vargas Green is a general dentist with specialty training in geriatrics, medically compromised patients, and post-doctoral advanced training in hospital dentistry. She received a Master of Public Heath degree from UT Health Houston in 2010. Her main focus at UT Health Health San Antonio School of Dentistry is in teaching and service. She is involved in multiple teaching activities supporting undergraduate and graduate programs.
In her current position as an Associate Professor with Tenure and Assistant Group Leader. My main responsibility is clinical instructor to junior and senior dental students. This involves clinical teaching supported by evidence-based dentistry and scholarly activity for the students such as literature searches and referencing books. She provides administrative management to junior students, ensuring they complete the clinical course expectations. She teaches and supervises the provision of dental procedures in all aspects of dentistry. For senior dental students she teaches immediate assessment, diagnosis, and present a primary treatment plan. She serves as a faculty advisor and student project mentor for pre-dental students, pre-doctoral dental students, and post-doctoral students. Her direct student contact time in teaching and patient care is eight half-days per week. She served as a course director for Heroes for the Homeless from 2008-2011. This course was offered to senior students as a selective. The course teaches cultural competency relative to oral health needs of the homeless population. She also collaborates in a Research project since 2003- to date in the Department of Periodontics looking the long=term healing of the dental implants in diabetic patients control and uncontrolled.
Clinical Researcher: Surgery implants and restoring implants in diabetic and non-diabetic patients for mandibular over dentures to benefit the nutrition and quality of life.
Oral surgery general, geriatrics, hospital dentistry: Oral surgery as a general, geriatrics and hospital dentist
Guy Huynh-Ba
Dr. Huynh-Ba received his D.D.S. in 1999 at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He then worked for three years in private dental practices while also a part-time clinical faculty in the department of Oral Surgery at the University of Geneva. He completed his residency in Periodontics in 2005 at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
His academic career began in 2006 at the University of Connecticut Health Center. At that time he was involved in didactic teaching of dental and dental hygiene students, as well as residents in Periodontics.
In 2007, Dr. Huynh-Ba received his Swiss and European board certifications in Periodontics and became a full-time faculty in the Department of Periodontics and Fixed Prosthodontics at the University of Bern. He was involved in the clinical and didactic teaching of dental students and residents in Periodontics. He was the co-course director for the 4th year predoctoral prosthodontics program and in September 2008, he assumed the course directorship. He received his master's degree in Periodontics in 2008.
In June 2009 he joined the department of Periodontics at UT Health San Antonio. Since then Dr. Huynh-Ba has increasingly become involved with the teaching of predoctoral and postdoctoral students in Periodontics. As of January 2011, Dr. Huynh-Ba has been a course director for the Junior (DS III) Implantology Course and teaches in 4 other predoctoral courses. At the post-doctoral level Dr. Huynh-Ba is involved in 13 courses (didactic and clinical). He is mentoring two Master of Science degree candidates and is on the Masters Thesis Supervising Committee of another 6 post-graduate students. Dr. Huynh-Ba received the 2011 AAPs (American Academy of Periodontology) Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award.
Dr. Huynh-Ba actively participates in preclinical and clinical research in the department of Periodontics and his areas of interest include dental implantology and bone regeneration. Dr. Huynh-Ba maintains an active part-time private practice limited to periodontology and implantology.
site IL-1 Genotype: A specific genotype characterized by the presence of allele 2 in the polymorphic gene clusters IL-1A (-889) and IL-1B (+13953) has been associated with severe chronic periodontitis in a non-smoking population of Caucasian Northern European heritage.
Straumann Dental Implant System: Straumann is a leading provider of solutions in implant dentistry and dental tissue regeneration. Straumann USA, LLC, located in Andover, Massachusetts, is the U.S. subsidiary of Straumann Holding, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and is the second-largest dental implant company in the world.