Birmingham, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry recently held its 21st Annual Scholars Symposium, bringing together dental students, residents, and faculty for an afternoon of scientific presentations centered on one of dentistry's most clinically relevant frontiers: craniofacial pain.
The event featured one of the largest poster sessions in the symposium's history, spanning predoctoral and postdoctoral research across basic sciences, clinical sciences, and scholarly activity. Students and residents presented work rooted in months — and in some cases years — of laboratory and clinical investigation, fielding questions from faculty and peers in real time.
This year's craniofacial pain theme reflects a growing recognition within academic dentistry that pain neuroscience and sensory biology are fundamental to advancing patient care. For dental students navigating the intersection of bench research and clinical training, the symposium serves as both an intellectual proving ground and a professional development milestone.
UAB's Student Research Group has developed a strong national reputation in recent years, with students regularly presenting at major scientific conferences. That pipeline was on display throughout the afternoon as presenters engaged in substantive dialogue about methodology, findings, and clinical implications.
Awards were presented across six categories:
Predoctoral Basic Sciences: Kristina Valladares (1st), Lucas Costa (2nd), Kayla McCullough and Caris Smith (3rd, tie)
Predoctoral Clinical Sciences: Kirav Patel and Cale Kreger (1st), Erick Molina and Alesia Shaaban (2nd), Carter Cooper (3rd)
Postdoctoral Basic Sciences: Eungyung Kim (1st), Muhammed Shahid Riaz (2nd), Mahfujul Khan (3rd)
Postdoctoral Clinical Sciences: Ezza Abdullah (1st), Pouya Sabanik (2nd), Ting-Chia Liu (3rd)
Predoctoral Scholarly Activity: Anna Williard and Peyton Billingsley (1st), Michelle Blake (2nd), Ahmad El Estwani and Holmes Gailano (3rd)
Postdoctoral Scholarly Activity: Stephanie Sawyer (1st)
Caris Smith received the SCADA Award, sponsored by Dentsply Sirona. Carter Cooper earned the honor of representing UAB at the 2026 Hinman Student Research Symposium, scheduled for October in Memphis.
The Scholars Symposium is one of several mechanisms through which UAB Dentistry cultivates research identity among its trainees — connecting doctoral candidates working in basic science with clinical students who will eventually translate that science into practice.
Source: UAB School of Dentistry