Dennis Sourvanos, a postdoctoral trainee at Penn Dental Medicine (Photo from Penn Dental Medicine).
Dennis Sourvanos, a postdoctoral trainee at Penn Dental Medicine, received the 2023 Crest and Oral-B Promising Researcher Award from the American Dental Association Foundation.
Sourvanos’ work, which was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, explores how photobiomodulation can alleviate post-surgical pain and speed up the healing process of wounds after dental procedures.
“Photobiomodulation is an approach that not only aligns with the Penn Dental Medicine commitment to non-invasive patient care but also resonates with the institution’s mission to reduce dependency on opioids,” Sourvanos told Penn Dental Medicine.
As he nears the completion of his postdoctoral training in periodontics and his DScD degree, Sourvanos will continue to serve as a fellow in the NIDCR T90/R90 Postdoctoral Training Program at the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry.
“This acknowledgment reflects the inclusive research community at Penn Dental Medicine and the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,” Sourvanos told Penn Dental Medicine.
Sourvanos acknowledged the vital interdisciplinary support of his mentors, Joseph Fiorellini, the postdoctoral director of periodontics at Penn Dental Medicine, and Timothy Zhu, a professor of radiation oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Sourvanos also accredited Penn Dental Medicine’s NIDCR T-90/R-90 Postdoctoral Training Program for refining his research methodologies and approach.
Sourvanos spent time as a scholar in the Perelman School of Medicine’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics and credited Emma Meagher, director of ITMAT and a professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the Perelman School of Medicine, for guiding him through specialized training in translational research and regulatory sciences.
The ADA Foundation award will allow Sourvanos to attend scientific conferences, expand his expertise, and spread his research to the wider scientific community.
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