Donald Brunette Symposium: Optimizing the Design of Dental Implants

Christopher McCulloch, DDS, Ph.D., FRCD(C)

Dr. McCulloch is the Canada Research Chair and Professor and Director of the Matrix Dynamics Group at the University of Toronto. He focuses on the biology of the extracellular matrix and how the matrix regulates cellular responses in wound healing, inflammatory and fibrotic conditions. Dr. McCulloch is a recognized leader in the field of matrix biology as indicated by continuous funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other federal agencies in Canada for the last 30 years and the publication of more than 250 peer-reviewed publications in high ranking journals. He has made seminal contributions to the field including the role of the extracellular matrix in in shaping cellular responses of fibroblasts to diabetes and to inflammatory mediators. Dr. McCulloch has also made important contributions in the structure and regulation of the cytoskeleton and how the cytoskeleton affects signaling processes in fibroblasts and contributes to transmission of biophysical signals that alter cellular signaling pathways.

Howard Tenenbaum, DDS, Ph.D., FRCD(C)

Dr. Tenenbaum is a Professor of Periodontology, and was Head of that Discipline for 8 years (1997-2005), at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. He was also is also Associate Dean for Biological and Diagnostic Sciences for 6 years. He is cross-appointed as a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and is Dentist in Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Tenenbaum also serves as an FDA panel member for Dental Devices and Drugs (USA) and is Vice-Chair of the Federal Dental Care Advisory Committee (Canada).

Dr. Tenenbaum has had cumulative peer-reviewed research funding since 1987 exceeding $2 million and has lectured internationally on several topics including orofacial pain, cellular biology of bone, and management of refractory periodontal diseases. Dr. Tenenbaum has also had experiments related to bone cell function in microgravity carried out on the US Space Shuttle by Astronaut and Senator John Glenn.

Connie J. Eaves, Ph.D., FRS(Canada), FRS (Edinburgh)

Distinguished Scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Agency
Professor, Departments of Medical Genetics, Medicine, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Dr. Eaves holds a BA in Biology & Chemistry and an MSc in Genetics from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Manchester, UK. Following post-doctoral training at the Ontario Cancer Institute under Dr. James Till, she was recruited to develop a research program at the BC Cancer Agency and was cross-appointed in Medical Genetics at UBC. In 1981, she and her husband started the Terry Fox Laboratory at the BC Cancer Agency and together built an internationally recognized research program in normal and cancer stem cell biology, leukemia, and breast stem cell biology. She has published more than 480 scientific papers and has a long and continuing track record both as a scientific leader and as a conscientious mentor of trainees at all levels. She has also been a major contributor to science policy and development in Canada and globally and has received numerous national and international awards for her many accomplishments.

Christopher Overall, BDS, B.Sc., MDS, Ph.D.

Dr. Overall is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Proteinase Proteomics and Systems Biology at the University of British Columbia, Centre for Blood Research. He completed his undergraduate, Honors Science and Masters degrees at the University of Adelaide, South Australia; his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto; and was a MRC Centennial Fellow in his post-doctoral work with Dr. Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate, Biotechnology Laboratory, University of British Columbia (UBC). On Sabbatical in 1997-1998 he was a Visiting Senior Scientist at British Biotech Pharmaceuticals, Oxford, UK and in 2004/2008 he was a Visiting Senior Scientist at the Expert Protease Platform, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Basel, Switzerland. At the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg, Germany he was an External Senior Fellow, and in November 2014 was appointed as an Honorary Professor, Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg. Dr. Overall was awarded the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis CIHR Award as 2002 CIHR Scientist of the Year, the UBC Killam Senior Researcher Award (Science) 2005, and was the Chair of the 2003 Matrix Metalloproteinase Gordon Research Conference and the 2010 Protease Gordon Research Conference. He was elected to the HUPO Council and to the Executive Committee of the Chromosome–Centric Human proteome Project (CHPP) in 2014. With over 13,521 citations for his 214 papers (since 2000 his papers have been cited >8,813 times) and with an h factor of 63 he is a highly influential scientist in the field. Professor Overall is also the pioneer of degradomics, a term he coined. With 21 Nature Review, Nature Journal, Cell Journal, Science and Science Signaling papers he is a leader in the field, which was recently recognized by the International Society of Proteolysis with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011; by the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand with the 2012 Barry Preston Award; in 2013 by the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Oral Biology; and in 2014 by the Tony Pawson Canadian National Proteomics Network Award for Outstanding Contribution and Leadership to the Canadian Proteomics Community. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Proteome Research and on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Molecular Cellular Proteomics and Biological Chemistry and the Advisory Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology.

Babak Chehroudi, DMD, Ph.D.

Dr. Chehroudi is a Clinical Professor in the department of Oral Health Sciences of the University of British Columbia. He completed his dental training at the National University of Iran in 1983. In 1986, he started research training in the area of cellular interactions with biomaterials under the supervision of Drs. Donald Brunette and Timothy Gould. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Oral Biology at the University of British Columbia in 1991. He has more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in the field of biomaterials, implants surface design, dental implant stability, and computer-aided educational models in dental anatomy. His current collaborative research with the Robotic Engineering division of Simon Fraser University explores applications of acoustics and vibration analysis in designing new generation of smart dental handpieces and devices capable of measuring dental implant stability. Dr. Chehroudi also teaches extensively in didactic and clinical courses, for both the DMD and postgraduate specialty programs at UBC.