UCLA School of Dentistry Celebrates Strong Showing at 2026 IADR/AADOCR/CADR Meeting & Exhibition

From March 25 to 28, a robust UCLA School of Dentistry research delegation traveled 100 miles south, returning home from San Diego with new connections, scientific knowledge, and – for two Dental Bruin trainees – shiny awards.

During the 2026 International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR), American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), and Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR) Annual Session & Exhibition at the San Diego Convention Center, 45 UCLA-affiliated researchers presented their work while Andrew Tran, D.D.S. ’28, and Soomin Park, D.D.S., Ph.D./O. ’30, earned national honors.

“It was wonderful to see our UCLA School of Dentistry community well represented,” said Associate Dean of Research Dr. Yvonne Hernandez-Kapila. “The energy, engagement, and support from everyone truly stood out.” 

Tran received a Student Research Fellowship from the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) – created to encourage U.S. dental students to consider careers in oral health research – and also earned the Consortium for Translational Orthodontic Research (CTOR) Award for Student Excellence in Orthodontic Research.

Dr. Park was presented with the 2026 Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) Henry M. Thornton Fellowship Award, which provides financial support to SCADA associates enrolled in postgraduate programs to promote continued scholarship and help support graduate education.

Another UCLA trainee who had an exceptionally fruitful week in San Diego was Rachel Kulchar, Ph.D./D.D.S. ’31. In addition to presenting a poster, she spoke at AADOCR’s Mini-Symposium for Young Investigators, chaired a session titled Oral Health in Changing Times: Bench, Chairside, and Capitol Hill, moderated the Comprehensive Dental Institute’s Empowering the Future Symposium, and was involved in several National Student Research Group initiatives, including competition judging.

Institutionally, a major highlight of this year’s meeting was UCLA’s leadership in convening the first-ever gathering of all National Institutes of Health-funded K12 programs for Schools of Dentistry (UCLA, University of Michigan, and University of Buffalo). The session brought together principal investigators, scholars, faculty mentors, and external advisory board members to share research advances and reflect on the program’s eight-year trajectory, underscoring UCLA’s role in advancing clinician-scientist training.

As has become an annual IADR/AADOCR/CADR tradition, Dr. Hernandez-Kapila and Dean Paul H. Krebsbach hosted a social and networking mixer for the School’s traveling contingent – as well as alumni in attendance – supported in part by the UCLA Global Advisors Council. In addition, more than 100 Meeting attendees engaged with the School’s booth on the SDCC’s exhibit floor.