Research Interests
Genetic underpinnings of orofacial cleft; Transcriptional regulatory networks governing cellular differentiation of superficial epithelia and melanocytes; Cell fate determination.
We are dropping the COVID testing requirement for unvaccinated adults. Please read the full details here »
NO visitors allowed. Only patients with appointments will be allowed to enter. If essential, one care giver may accompany a patient. Visitor policy »
Política de Visitantes »
访客政策 »
Chính Sách Khách Thăm Viếng »
Правила для посетителей »
방문객 규정 »
Genetic underpinnings of orofacial cleft; Transcriptional regulatory networks governing cellular differentiation of superficial epithelia and melanocytes; Cell fate determination.
Dr. Arce-McShane is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Health Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of the Philippines, Master of Arts in Motor Learning from Columbia University in New York, and PhD in Neuroscience from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. She did her postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago and was a Research Assistant Professor prior to joining the School of Dentistry in November 2021.
Dr. Arce-McShane is a neuroscientist and her research focuses on the principles of cortical and biomechanical control of oral sensorimotor behavior (such as feeding, breathing and speech), and how these are affected by learning, aging, and disease. Her previous background as a physical therapist with strong concentrations in movement science, neurological and cognitive rehabilitation has given her a keen awareness of patients’ problems and needs. Her basic science research draws from her clinical experience and is aimed towards innovative research that directly impacts the evaluation and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, sensorimotor disorders, restoration of sensory feedback in brain-machine interfaces, and age-related dementias.
Her lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to understand the interplay between sensation and movement using converging evidence from psychophysics, biomechanics, neurophysiology, and computational modeling. Her methods include recording neural activity from chronically-implanted microelectrode arrays in multiple regions of the cerebral cortex simultaneous with recording the movements of the tongue and the mandible using high-resolution biplanar radiography and applying computational models to understand the principles of sensorimotor control.
Dr. An received his Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Washington. He completed a dual D.D.S (2015) and Ph.D (2019) from the University of Washington School of Dentistry. He is a UW Magnuson Scholar, ARCS Foundation Fellow, IADR/AADR Hatton Competition winner, and won the inaugural IADR Heraeus Award and ADA/Dentsply Sirona Research Award for Dual Degree Candidates.
Dr. An is currently an Assistant Professor of Oral Health Sciences and Faculty in the Healthy Aging and Longevity Institute. He also serves as the Assistant Graduate Program Director of Oral Health Sciences. Dr. An currently directs courses in the departments of Oral Health Sciences and the Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology.
Dr. An’s research interests lie at the intersection of Geroscience (aging biology) and Oral Biology. His primary research focuses on understand the basic biological mechanisms of aging in the context of oral health and disease. His laboratory also evaluates and targets specific hallmarks of aging in the oral cavity to one day translate these discoveries to help extend the oral healthspan in humans.
I am an Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. My program of research applies behavioral science, especially health psychology, to dentistry and dental public health. The overall goals of this work are to improve dental care delivery and oral health outcomes, with a major aim to reduce health disparities.
I have specific research interests in: (1) psychological processes involved in, and social/behavioral interventions for, dental/orofacial pain, dental treatment-seeking behavior, and oral health behavior; (2) the etiology, prevention, and amelioration of dental treatment avoidance, particularly as a function of dental care-related fear/anxiety; and (3) the dissemination of knowledge on these topics to healthcare professionals, and the implementation of evidence-based practice in the oral health arena. As a clinical psychologist, I treat patients in the oral medicine clinic at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
I also engage in teaching—primarily for dental and medical students/residents—on topics such as behavioral science, clinical health psychology, health behavior change, healthcare-related fear/anxiety, pain management, pediatric behavior guidance, integrated care, Motivational Interviewing, interprofessional and patient-provider communication, and cultural humility.
My research applies social and behavioral science to dentistry. To guide my work, I draw on training in experimental psychopathology, behavioral genetics, clinical health psychology, dissemination and implementation science, public health, and translational science. Three specific areas of scientific inquiry currently characterize my multilevel, transdisciplinary program of research.
Current research interests are primarily in the area of dental caries management and caries risk assessment, in addition to a long standing interest in the treatment of patients with dental fear and related behavior modification.
Education: The Free University of Brussels (dental degree), the University of Washington (specialty training in periodontics and a doctoral degree in epidemiology), and the University of Michigan (a master of science in biostatistics).
Service: Clinical practice limited to periodontics
Dr. McLean’s research career began at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA (2000-2007). He then established a research program at the non-profit J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, CA in 2007. He moved to the University of Washington School of Dentistry in 2014 and is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontics at the School of Dentistry with a joint appointment in Oral Health Sciences as well as an adjunct position in the Department of Microbiology at UW. For the past 21 years, his research has been primarily devoted to developing innovative methodologies, tools and new genomic based approaches to study microbial interactions within biofilm communities. Dr. McLean received his MSc at the University of Guelph in Canada and PhD at the University of Southern California. Currently, he is funded as a PI on multiple NIH awards to characterize the microbial processes that lead to oral diseases and maintain the health of the human oral microbiome.
The goal of the research in the McLean lab has been to gain an understanding for the molecular basis of bacteria-bacteria as well as bacteria-host interactions and further develop innovative methodologies, tools and integrated “omic” based approaches combined with wet-lab cultivation work on oral communities to ultimately translate this fundamental knowledge to the overall benefit of human health. His lab has extensive experience in next generation sequencing and combining omic approaches such as temporal resolved metatranscriptomic analysis (gene expression of all the microbes at once) in parallel with measuring global metabolites to reveal the homeostatic mechanisms of oral microbial communities. The lab tracks oral microbiome community assembly and maturation both in vitro and in vivo, capturing the temporal taxonomic and expression dynamics of key disease related species in direct association with the clinical host responses. Recent work of the team on the variation in human inflammatory responses to oral plaque bacteria leading to gum disease (gingivitis and chronic periodontitis) has links to overall systemic health.
A Review of TM7 in the Human Oral Microbiome
Science News from the Journal of Science
Doug is a professor of Orthodontics, Oral Health Sciences, Orthodontics, and Pediatric Dentistry. In addition to receiving numerous NIH research grants, he was also the recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Doug is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a member of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists. Doug is the Director of the UW’s Regional Clinical Dental Research Center and is currently the Director of the T90/R90 NIDCR-supported institutional training grant at the UW School of Dentistry. Doug has directed courses in the predoctoral dental and graduate dental specialty programs, supervised patient care in the graduate orthodontics clinic, and been Chair of numerous thesis committees.
A complete list of Dr. Ramsay’s published work can be found in MyBibliography