Caris Smith (Class of 2027)For more than a decade, students from the UAB School of Dentistry have played a meaningful role in shaping the national conversation around dental research. Through sustained engagement with the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) National Student Research Group (NSRG), UAB students have contributed to advancing discovery, advocacy, and scientific leadership within the profession.
Since 2009, five UAB dental students have served as president of the AADOCR NSRG, a distinction that reflects both individual initiative and a broader institutional culture that values research as a core component of professional formation.
Those student leaders include:
- Nathaniel Lawson (2009), now a member of the UAB faculty
- Angela Gullard (2012)
- Mitra Adhami (2015)
- Tanner Godfrey (2019), now an orthodontics resident at UAB
- Caris Smith (2025)
In a recent message to the national student research community, current NSRG president Caris Smith reflected on the responsibility of emerging researchers to connect science to patient care and public impact:
“Our research must remain grounded in patient outcomes, driven by rigorous inquiry, and supported by effective advocacy. Discoveries made at the bench can be delayed or immobilized by funding gaps and uninformed policy.”
Together, this legacy of leadership underscores UAB Dentistry’s long-standing commitment to preparing students not only to practice dentistry, but to contribute to the scientific, academic, and professional future of oral health.
Learn more about the UAB Student Research Group (SRG) is the School of Dentistry's dynamic local student-run chapter of the AADOCR NSRG.