Research Day

CU School of Dental Medicine
41st Annual Research Day

Friday, February 27, 2026

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Anschutz Health Sciences Building, Elliman Conference Hall

Anschutz Medical Campus

Free to attend. Continuing Education credits available.

The poster session includes competitions in four student categories for presenter awards:

Dental students and ISP students at the School of Dental Medicine
Graduate students in labs at the School of Dental Medicine
Research staff professionals working at the School of Dental Medicine
Postdocs and residents in labs at the School of Dental Medicine

The poster session also includes recognition for faculty in one category:

Recognition for faculty research

Everyone with a completed research or education research project or works-in-progress are encouraged to participate.

Please include all of the following:

Use the Abstract Template for Research Day
Limit the number of words to 300
A figure or a table is allowed
Include an analysis of the outcomes measured (statistical analysis preferred)
Use 12-point Arial font for the abstract.

Poster Ordering FAQ's:

The preferred poster size is 3' x 4'. Use Black and Gold templates.
Contact phdposters.com. Student printing is $59.99 (request tax exemption) and Dr. Stansbury will cover the costs for printing posters. Please note: you will be responsible for any costs that exceed $59.99.
Faculty, contact your Department Chair to find out about funding for poster printing.
Questions? Contact [email protected] for details on how to purchase/order and charge poster costs.
If you are printing on your own, use the CU SDM Black and Gold templates.
Already have a poster from a recent meeting? That poster can be used at Research Day.

Never presented before or want some ideas for presenting? Check out "Engaging Poster Presentations" or schedule an appointment with [email protected].

Samantha Brugmann, PhD

Keynote “Dissecting ciliopathies: From molecular mechanism to potential treatments”

Samantha Brugmann Dr. Samantha Brugmann is a developmental biologist studying craniofacial development and disease. Her long-term goal is to help children with craniofacial anomalies by generating tissue amenable for surgical repair. To achieve this goal, her lab specifically focuses on the role the primary cilium during craniofacial development and the craniofacial anomalies that arise when the cilium do not function properly. Projects in her lab utilize avian, murine and human-induced pluripotent stem cells to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with craniofacial anomalies. In addition to using existing animal models to understand human craniofacial disorders, her lab also sequences patients and generates cell-based models to uncover novel genetic causes for craniofacial ciliopathies.

Nisali Piyasena, BS, DDS Candidate 2027 & Mason Gueller, BS, DDS Candidate 2029

"The Antimicrobial Effects of Acrylated Hydroxyazobenzene Copolymers”

Nisali Piyasena Nisali graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2023 with a B.S. in Chemistry, where her research-focused curriculum enabled her to work in two laboratories during her undergraduate education. She conducted computational chemistry and molecular dynamics studies of the PICK1 protein to better understand its role in various disorders, including substance use disorder, under the direction of Dr. Yi He. She also participated in molecular biology research on Ribosomally synthesized and Post-translationally modified Peptides (RiPPs), natural products with diverse functions, including antibiotic activity, under the direction of Dr. Mark Walker. Now a third-year dental student at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Nisali has spent the past two years contributing to the development and clinical incorporation of AHA copolymers, under the direction of Dr. Devatha Nair and Dr. Michael Schurr. She also had the opportunity to present her research at the 2025 American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) Annual Meeting in New York. In addition to her research involvement, she serves as Vice President of the CUSDM Research Group and currently leads a flagship project supported by CUSDM aimed at addressing the significant dental shortage in New Mexico, reflecting her commitment to advancing the field of dentistry through research, leadership, and service.

Mason Gueller Mason Gueller is a first-year dental student at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 2024 with a BS in Microbiology and has always had a strong interest in the bacteria that positively and negatively affect the human body. Working for 2 years as a pharmacy technician and 3 as a dental assistant, Mason has experience in different facets of the healthcare world and is interested in learning more about the human body through his studies at dental school. He has been a part of Dr. Schurr and Dr. Nair’s labs since June 2025 and primarily focuses on how Acrylated Hydroxyazobenzene affects the oral microbiome of denture patients.

Grace Gustafson, BS

“A developmental buffering mechanism of initiation codon mutations”

Gustafson I am a current PhD candidate in the Molecular Biology program at the University of Colorado Anschutz in the laboratory of Dr. James Nichols studying genetic buffering mechanisms in craniofacial development. I began my undergraduate training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where I studied bioenergetics and biochemistry of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. I finished my undergraduate studies at Arizona State University while working in the laboratory of Dr. Rozalyn Anderson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Here I contributed to a study showing a molecular link between sarcopenia prevention and caloric restriction in aged rhesus macaques as well as a study of circulating lipids and their capacity to predict metabolic syndrome in aged rhesus macaques among other projects. For my PhD work in the Nichols laboratory, I have moved into the field of craniofacial development, and am harnessing molecular techniques to understand how some mutants can be phenotypically buffered. A start codon mutant in the zebrafish mef2ca gene, a key player in lower jaw development, has a shockingly mild craniofacial phenotype compared to a full knock-out. My thesis project utilizes biochemical techniques to uncover RNA and protein mechanisms that allow for this partially rescued function. This research is funded through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship that I was awarded in 2024.

Maria Campana, PhD

“PDGFRa/b heterodimer activation negatively affects downstream ERK1/2 signaling and cellular proliferation”

Maria Campana I am a biochemist specializing in enzymatic membrane proteins, with interdisciplinary training in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology. My research career began at Florida International University studying the sequence specificity of mung bean nuclease, followed by a master’s degree at St. John’s University developing rapid separation techniques for impure compounds and designing luminescent osmium complexes for polyanion detection. For my Ph.D. at Syracuse University, I defined the structural and catalytic features of the membrane-bound enzyme ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), creating the first high-resolution structural model of GOAT, identifying critical residues for enzyme function, and generating fluorescent ghrelin-mimetic inhibitors that illuminated novel substrate interactions and unexpected subcellular localization. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Fantauzzo laboratory at the University of Colorado Anschutz, I have expanded my expertise to receptor tyrosine kinases, developing tools to visualize and purify PDGFR/ȕ heterodimers and investigating their activation, trafficking and interacting partners in vitro. Supported by expert mentors in craniofacial biology and cell trafficking, my work integrates biochemical, structural, and cell-biological approaches and positions me to pursue an independent research career focused on the function and regulation of enzymatic membrane proteins.

Shahbaz Katebzadeh, DMD, MS, ABPD Diplomate

“Healthy Lungs, Healthy Smiles: Where Airway Care Meets Oral Care”

Katebzadeh Dr. Shahbaz “Boz” Katebzadeh is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. He provides comprehensive hospital-based dental care for medically complex children. He is the principal investigator of the Healthy Lungs, Healthy Smiles (HLHS) study, funded through his AAPD Sue Seale Award, which examines interdisciplinary oral health assessment and oral dysbiosis in children on long-term airway support. His research focuses on the oral–lung axis, microbial diversity, developmental anomalies, and improving integrated care models that bridge dentistry with pediatric subspecialties to enhance outcomes for vulnerable populations.

School of Dental Medicine

CU Anschutz

School of Dental Medicine

13065 East 17th Avenue

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-6900

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