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Yvette Alania Salazar
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: yvette.alaniasalazar@marquette.edu
Dr. Alania is originally from Peru where she received her D.D.S. degree. She moved to Brazil to complete her M.S. in Operative Dentistry followed by a Ph.D. in Dental Biomaterials from the University of Sao Paulo. She also served as an Assistant Professor at the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia. She joined Dr. Bedran-Russo’s lab in 2017 as a Research Associate where she works with the physicochemical and mechanical assessment of the dentin extracellular matrix using plant-based proanthocyanidins. Her research interests also include the effect of glycation products and aging in the dentin.
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Mariana Reis
Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: mariana.reis@marquette.edu
Dr. Reis joined Dr. Bedran-Russo’s research group in January 2018. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomaterials and a D.D.S. degree from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Her research interests included dentin, biomaterials, collagen and proteins. Her research expertise is on spectroscopy, biomechanics and proteomics. She currently is working on studies of dentin and dentin extracellular matrix biomimetic strategies using plant-derived proanthocyanidins. More specifically, her focus as a researcher is to analyze the nanomechanical properties, chemical modifications of the extracellular matrix induced by PACs, and the long-term stability of the biomodified dentin matrix. As a postdoctoral fellow, she is also responsible to train and supervise undergraduate and predoctoral research volunteer, encouraging their development in the scientific field.
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Odair Bim Júnior
Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: odair.bimjunior@marquette.edu
Dr. Bim holds a Ph.D. in Dentistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), where he also received a dentaldDegree in 2009. He has dedicated his studies and work to the development of biomaterials and biomimetic approaches for the repair of dental tissues. Dr. Bim was delighted to join Bedran Russo’s lab to help elucidate the bioactivities of robust plant-derived compounds, with a particular interest in their potential role in the biomineralization process.
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Roxanna Bahmani
Research Fellow
Email: roxanna.bahmani@marquette.edu
Dr. Bahmani is a trained dentist from Tehran, Iran. She graduated in 2013. She moved to U.S. in 2018 to pursue dentistry. In 2021, Her passion for advancement and research in the field of dentistry drove her to join Dr. Bedran-Russo's research group at Marquette School of Dentistry. She is involved in research areas where the focus is on biomaterials and analyzing mechanical behavior of biomodified dentin. She is eager to learn from her team members and enjoys helping the team to deliver the outcome.
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Golfam Poursepanj
Research Fellow
Email: poursepanj.golfam@marquette.edu
Dr. Poursepanj is a passionate dentist and researcher who graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, one of the top dental schools in the middle east. She did a lot of research on using plants extract in the prevention and treatment of dental and oral disease. She enjoys working with Dr. Berden-Russo's research group to develop her knowledge and skills in the effectiveness of plants extract in dentistry.
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Zachary Jacobs
D.D.S Student, Marquette University School of Dentistry
Email: zachary.jacobs@marquette.edu
Zach was born and raised in Buffalo Grove, IL. He attended Marquette University for his undergraduate studies where he earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences. During this time, he grew a passion for research while studying bone tissue engineering utilizing 3D-printing of bone scaffolds. He currently attends Marquette University School of Dentistry where his current research focuses on analyzing the mechanical properties of dentin treated with biomodification agents such as proanthocyanidins (PACs) utilizing ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. He loves working with the team and is looking forward to new opportunities.
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Mitchell Piacsek
D.D.S Student, Marquette University School of Dentistry
Email: mitchell.piacsek@marquette.edu
Mitchell received his B.S. in biomedical sciences from Marquette University in 2020. He was a member of the pre-dental scholars program while in undergrad and is now a second-year dental student. He joined Dr. Bedran-Russo’s research team in December 2020, where his research focus is on the response of dental pulp stem cells to oligomeric proanthocyanidins used as a novel pulp-capping agent.
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Ihab Khatib
Undergraduate Student (Biomedical Sciences), Marquette University
Email: ihab.khatib@marquette.edu
Ihab is currently an undergrad at Marquette University College of Health Sciences, majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Business Administration. He grew up in Palestine, Jerusalem, before moving to the U.S. Ihab is involved in various clubs and student organizations at Marquette. He is extremely excited to help Dr. Bedran-Russo in her research to develop regenerative biomaterial to replace lost tooth structure.
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