PhD Student’s Research Takes First Place at Endodontists Association

Abdel Hameed Mahmoud, DDS, a PhD student in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (SDM), earned first place for his research poster at the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last week.

Mahmoud’s research, “An Innovative Injectable Retrievable and Sustainable Drug Delivery System for Endodontic Therapy,” showcased a new thermo-reversible hydrogel that, combined with calcium hydroxide and salicylic acid, effectively eradicates E. faecalis biofilm and improves intracanal delivery and retrievability in endodontic cases. His work was selected from a pool of more than 160 presenters at the specialty’s largest conference.

“It’s truly an incredible honor to have my research recognized by the AAE,” Mahmoud said. “Winning first place among such talented residents and students from prestigious schools across the country is both humbling and deeply rewarding. In addition to it being a personal achievement, it highlights the exceptional clinical and research training I’ve received at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. I’m especially grateful for the incredible support and mentorship from my supervisors. Their guidance has been instrumental throughout this journey.”

“We are so proud of Dr. Mahmoud not only for being acknowledged in such a fashion, but for the commitment to excellence he demonstrated through each step in the research process,” said Stephen Walker, interim associate dean for research at the SDM, who co-authored the paper.

His mentors on the paper included Miriam Rafailovich, distinguished professor in Stony Brook University’s Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering; Walker and Marcia Simon, from the SDM’s Department of Oral Biology and Pathology; and Thomas Manders, DDS, Jerome Cymerman, DMD, and Rita O’Dwyer, DDS, from the Department of Periodontics and Endodontics. Mahmoud’s triumph comes just weeks after he captured the Graduate Student Research Award, with the same poster, at the SDM’s annual Research Symposium.

Read the full story at the School of Dental Medicine website.