CareQuest Institute for Oral Health to Fund Year Seven of the AADOCR Mind the Future Program

The American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is now accepting applications for Cohort 7 of the Mind the Future program, with generous support from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. In 2020, AADOCR was awarded a five-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (Grant No. 5UE5DE029439). In July 2025, AADOCR announced that it would continue the program for a sixth year.

For the past six years, the AADOCR Mind the Future program has fostered cohorts of distinguished early-career investigators in the dental, oral and craniofacial (DOC) research field. The program’s goal is to develop a sustainable, nationally recognized mentoring network that enhances the career development of such researchers with merit-based opportunities for all. The program aims to continue to cultivate a robust pathway of future investigators to address critical scientific challenges.

For year seven, up to 10 program participants will be selected and must commit to at least one full year of mentoring education and activities. Twelve months will be devoted to enhancing research career development through intensive hands-on work, combining in-person sessions with distance-learning components and engaging in a mentored grant-writing experience. Additionally, mentees are encouraged to remain engaged with the program to foster peer mentoring and to support further career development based on individual needs and preferences.

“AADOCR is proud to continue this mentoring network program for a seventh year with the generous support of CareQuest Institute,” said Nisha D’Silva, B.D.S., M.S.D., Ph.D., AADOCR President and the Donald Kerr Endowed Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. “By investing in the next generation of researchers today, we are helping to shape the future of oral health research. Through mentorship, collaboration and opportunity, we can empower emerging scientists to tackle tomorrow’s greatest scientific challenges with confidence and innovation.”

“The future of oral health access and equity depends on the next generation of researchers, innovators and leaders,” said Eric Tranby, Ph.D., Senior Director of Analytics and Data Insights at CareQuest Institute. “Through our support of Mind the Future, we are investing in early-career scholars whose ideas, discoveries and commitment to public health will help create a more equitable future where everyone can achieve optimal oral health.”

The AADOCR Mind the Future program is open to early-career faculty and investigators (postdoctoral or junior faculty) in academic and research institutions who wish to advance their careers in DOC health research. Principal investigators are Christopher Fox, D.M.D., D.M.S.c., CEO of IADR/AADOCR; Effie Ioannidou, D.D.S., M.D.S., Professor of Orofacial Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry; and David R. Drake, Ph.D., M.S., Professor Emeritus of Endodontics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 1, 2026.

Courtesy of American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research

Published on August 12, 2026