Profile

Dr. Messadi has medium-length brown hair and is wearing a multi-colored dark purple, orange, and red top.

Diana  V.  Messadi D.D.S., M.M.SC., D.M.SC.

Professor
Chair of the Section of Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, and Orofacial Pain
Phone
  • (310) 206-7399
Fax
(310) 825-0921
Office
13-082B CHS
Address

UCLA School of Dentistry
10833 Le Conte Ave.
Box 951668
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1668

Classifications
  • CE Instructors
  • Full-Time Faculty
Academic Sections
  • Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology & Orofacial Pain
Biography

Dr. Messadi received her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (B.D.S., D.D.S), in 1979 from the Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt. From 1979-1980 she was a Dental Intern in Alexandria University Faculty of Dentistry. In 1980, she was appointed as a Lecturer in the Oral Pathology Department at Alexandria University Faculty of Dentistry. In 1982 she traveled to the USA to pursue her postdoctoral training; she obtained a Master of Medical Sciences, (MMSc) and Certificate in Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine (1985) from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and a Doctorate of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology, (DMSc) in 1987, also from Harvard School of Dental Medicine. From 1987-1989, she went back to Egypt and was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Oral Pathology at the Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University. In 1989 she came back to the USA with her husband began working at UCLA School of Dentistry. She served as Chair of the Section of Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain from 2002-2018, also served as Associate Dean for Education and Faculty Development from 2015-2018 and Academic Dean from 2015-2023. From 2009-2010 she participated in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellowship. From 2015-2017 she participated in a Medical Education Fellowship at  UCLA School of Medicine and earned a certificate in 2017. In 2024 she was appointed as a Fulbright Program Specialist. She is also on the Medical Board of the International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation. As a dentist-scientist, Dr. Messadi’s approach to teaching has always focused on bridging the biomedical sciences with the clinical sciences. Her major teaching responsibilities are in the fields of oral medicine and oral oncology. Her research focuses on oral cancer early detection.

Representative Publications
  • Lingyi Xu. , Jeremy G Barrett, Jiayi Peng, Suk Li, Diana Messadi and Shen Hu. ITGAV Promotes the Progression of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Curr. Oncol. 2024, 31(3), 1311-1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol31030099
  • Annachristine Miranda-Hoover, Puhan He, Trinh Chau, Michael Cimba, Kevin Francois, Saxon Day, Rabie Shanti, Joseph Foote, Petra Wilder-Smith, Diana Messadi*, Anh Le. Telehealth Utilization in Oral Medicine and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. TeleMedicine and e-Health 2024 Mar;30(3):780-787. Doi: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0099. Epub 2023 Aug 31. (co-corresponding author)
  • Eoon Hye Ji, Naseim Elzakra, Eon S Lee, Bingbing Sun, Diana Messadi, Tian Xia, Yifang Zhu, Shen Hu. E-cigarette aerosols induce unfolded protein response in normal human oral keratinocytes. Journal of Cancer; Vol. 10: 6915-6924, 2019
  • Martín Carreras-Presas C, Naeim M, Hsiou D, Somacarrera Pérez ML, Messadi DV. The need to educate future dental professionals on E-cigarette effects. Eur J Dent Educ.; 22:e751–e758; 2018_
  • Diana V. Messadi; Mark Macek; Daniela Markovic; Kathryn A. Atchison. Oral Health Literacy, Preventive Behavior Measures and Chronic Medical Conditions. Journal Dent Res Clin and Trans Res. 3 (3): 288-301, 2018
Additional Information

Courses Taught:
- Co-Chair: Foundation Course (DS 100)
- Chair Oral Diseases 1 (OSD 201)
- Instructor: OSD 103 (System I) ; OSD 202 (Oral Diseases 2)
- Co-Chair DS 300.4 Postgraduate Seminars in Oral Pathology
- Instructor: CL 403.5 Oral Diagnosis Clinic
- Co-Chair: CL 404.5 Oral Medicine Clinic

Educational & Professional Background
  • B.D.S., D.D.S. (with distinction), Alexandria University, 1979
  • M.M.Sc., Harvard University (Oral Biology), 1985
  • Certificate, Harvard University (Oral Pathology Residency), 1985
  • D.M.Sc., Harvard University (Oral Biology), 1987
  • Certificate, UCLA, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, 2003
  • Certificate, Medical Education Fellowship ,  UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2017
Research & Interests

Dr. Messadi has written over 75 research articles and review papers, 15 book chapters and 92 abstracts. She is the recipient of several NIH grants and private Foundations grants to study the effect of growth factors on wound healing and role of apoptosis in keloid formation, recently she completed an NIH/NIDCR R25 education grant to train dentals students for academic dental careers. Her clinical research focuses on new diagnostic tools for detection of oral precancerous and cancerous lesions and clinical trials on oral cancer chemoprevention, early detection, oral cancer risk assessment and using Telehealth for delivery of care especially in underserved population. She also mentors several undergraduate, predental and postdoctoral students for their research projects.

Publications
Professional Memberships
  • Referee for a number of science journals including Journal of Dental Research (JDR), J National Medical Association, Triple O, CDA and International J of Cancer, Carcinogenesis, J of Investigative Dermatology.
  • Fellow of the Salzburg Seminar Session # 266 “Aids Confronting an Epidemic”.
  • Fellow of the ELAM Fellowship.
  • Memberships in the American Academy of Oral Medicine, the Western, California and American Dental Associations, the International and American Associations of Dental Research, the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, and Johnsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
  • Fulbright Program Specialist
  • Medical Board IPPF
  • International & American Association of Dental Research (IADR & AADCOR)
  • American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
  • American Academy of Oral Medicine
  • University and School of Dentistry committee memberships in P&T committee, UCLA Inaugural Global Advisors Council; FEC, APA, awards and scholarship committee
Awards
  • 2023-Egyptian American Organization (EAO) Outstanding Achievement award
  • 1987- The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) James Shaw Award for the most outstanding thesis in the biomedical sciences submitted that year.