Ahmed Sabbah, D.D.S, Ph.D

Dr. Sabbah is a Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Health San Antonio
School of Dentistry. He completed his DDS and PhD followed by 2 years Advanced Education in
General Dentistry (AEGD) residency at UTHSA in 2015. Dr. Sabbah served as a General Practice
Group (GPG) leader for 4 years till 2019. During his time as GPG leader, he initiated the effort
to transition student daily evaluations from paper to electronic by inventing a web application for
student assessment. He received several grants to fund the project with the application being fully
integrated in the predoctoral clinic since 2017. During his time as GPG leader, Dr. Sabbah won
several awards including: “Professor of The Year” selected by senior dental students and
“Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award”. In 2019 he transitioned to AEGD as Assistant Director
and implemented the digital workflow in AEGD. Since June 2020 he has served as Program
Director of the AEGD residency. His efforts in AEGD thus far have included: expansion of the
program to 19 residents, starting the AEGD Master’s program , partnership with 7 to 7 dental and
orthodontics, initiation of digital workflow at Haven for Hope and piloting digital workflows in
the dental school. Dr. Sabbah has presented at numerous national meetings and served as the chair
of the section on Comprehensive Dentistry at ADEA. He has several publications and was the PI
on a federal grant for $1.4 million. His research focus includes investigating the survival of
implants in HIV patients, competency assessment and the use of ceramic infiltrated printed resin
for indirect restorations.

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2013 - Ph.D. - Microbiology and Immunology - UTHSCSA
  • 2013 - D.D.S. - Dental - UTHSCSA
  • 2004 - B.S. - Biology - University of Utah

  Training

  • 2015 - 2 year Certificate in Advanced Education In General Dentistry - Advanced General Dentistry - UTHSCSA

  Highlights

  OKU Dental Honor Society, Faculty of The Year AEGD, Professor of The Year, The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine M.D., Academy of Health Science Education Small Grant Award for innovation in Health Science Education ($5,000), Excellence in clinical teaching award, UT Health President’s Translational and Entrepreneurial Research Fund ($25,000).

  Appointments

  • 2015 - GPG Leader - UTHSCSA
  • 2019 - AEGD Assistant Director - UTHSCSA
  • 2020 - AEGD Program Director - UTHSCSA

• Publications

  • Kota S, Sabbah A, Chang TH, Harnack R, Xiang Y, Meng X, Bose S. Role of human
  beta defensin-2 during tumor necrosis factor-alpha /NF-kappa B mediated innate
  anti-viral r esponse against human respiratory syncytial virus. J Biol Chem. 2008

  Dela Cruz I, Sabbah A, Chang T, Harnack R, Mgbemena V, Chatterjee B, Bose S.
  Cancer

  Anticancer oncolytic activity of respiratory syncytial virus. Gene Ther. 2009 May 15=

  Sabbah A, Chang TH, Harnack R, Frohlich V, Tominaga K, Dube PH, Xiang Y, Bose

  S. Activation of innate immune antiviral responses by Nod2. Nat Immunol. 2009

  Aug 23.

  Sabbah A, Bose S. Retinoic acid inducible gene I Activates innate antiviral

  response against human parainfluenza virus type 3. Virol J. 2009 Nov 17

  Ibtissam Echchgadda, Te-Hung Chang , Ahmed Sabbah , Imad Bakri , Yuji Ikeno , Gene B Hubbard , Bandana Chatterjee and Santanu Bose. Oncolytic Targeting of Androgen-sensitive Prostate Tumor by the RespiratorySyncytial Virus (RSV):
  Consequences of Deficient Interferon-dependent AntiviralDefense, BMCCancer
  2011

  Santanu Bose, Te-Hung Chang, Jesus Segovia, Ahmed Sabbah, Victoria Mgbemena
  Cholesterol Rich lipid rafts are required for release of infectious human respiratory
  syncytial virus particles. Virology Oct 2011

  Segovia J, Sabbah A, Mgbemena V, Tsai SY, Chang TH, Berton MT, Morris IR, Allen
  IC, Ting JP, Bose S. TLR2/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, reactive oxygen species, potassium
  efflux activates NLRP3/ASC inflammasome during respiratory syncytial virus infection.
  PLoS One. 2012

  Hicks J, Schaffer R, Frances D, Usher S, Barnes J, Sabbah A. Foreign service special
  care opportunity in SCDA. Spec Care Dentist. 2015 Aug 7.

  Sabbah A, Hicks J, MacNeill B, Arbona A, Aguilera A, Gelfond J, Liu Q Gardner
  W. A retrospective analysis of implants survival in HIV patients. Journal of Clinical
  Periodontology, March 2019

  Sabbah A. An Introduction to Contemporary Treatment Planning. QRG guide, Metlife,
  January 2021