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BCD student researcher spends summer break at NIDCR
 Sandy beaches and exotic vacation spots are drawing thousands of
students away from the rigors of academia this summer. For one Baylor College of Dentistry student, however, Bethesda, Md., is the only place to be.
Second-year dental student Elizabeth Leddy is conducting research at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. As a 2005 NIDCR Summer Dental Student
Award winner, she is undertaking an eight-week internship with NIDCR and other National Institutes of Health researchers.
Leddy is only the second BCD student to achieve the honor. The first, Sarah Pollan (D4), received the award in 2003.
"I've always believed that research is one of the most important tenets of education. It puts people in a position to create new paths and open new doors for solving common problems," Leddy said. "Conducting
novel research at the NIDCR will give me greater insight to dentistry as a profession and add significance to my education as a student. Plus, it
is a great opportunity for me to explore whether research is a field I want to pursue in my career."
Leddy is gaining hands-on research experience under the guidance of her NIDCR mentor, Dr. Reuben Siraganian. They work in the NIDCR's Receptors and Signal Transduction Section where they're
studying signal transduction of oral pathogens as it relates to oral infection and immunity.
"The purpose is to understand how certain bacteria in the human mouth can interact to cause caries and other oral diseases," Leddy said. "This internship will allow me to see in a new context why oral infection is so
complex and difficult to overcome."
While at BCD, Leddy has participated in dental materials research and is currently involved in epidemiological research with Dr. Raghunath Puttaiah, associate professor of diagnostic sciences and director of
infection control. Puttaiah encouraged her to consider teaching and research as a career choice.
"Elizabeth is quite tenacious and focused," Puttaiah said. "She is seriously considering her career options and research interests. This internship will give her additional practical experience and exposure,
broadening her knowledge as a student.
"Whether she chooses research or practice as a career, this experience will help her in all areas of her professional life," he continued.
Leddy is active in BCD organizations as well. She served as historian and secretary of the Texas Association of Women Dentists, secretary-treasurer of the D1 Class Council and as a member of Delta Sigma Delta.
Leddy earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., in 2004. A 2000 graduate of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas, she is the daughter of John
and Mary Leddy of Colleyville.
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