The mission of the Office of Research & Graduate Studies is to provide guidance and to support the development of resources for all faculty members and students at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry to achieve the following goals:

• Outstanding residency programs for training dental specialists,

• Integrated education programs leading to a Master of Science and/or Ph.D. for dental clinician-scientists and dental hygienists who will be the future leaders in dental hygiene, dental and biomedical education and/or research,

• Outstanding programs of basic and clinical research that will expand the knowledge base underlying the etiology, progression, prevention and treatment of dental and craniofacial disorders, and

• Administration of all compliance matters related to the responsible conduct of research at Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry.

Graduate education programs at TAMBCD seek to provide an educational experience that emphasizes the development of a strong basic science background coupled with advanced diagnostic and clinical competence. The goal is to develop a highly skilled specialist with the analytical, clinical and management abilities necessary to provide optimum oral health care and to produce a graduate who will have the ability to critically evaluate research literature, as well as have the inquiring attitude necessary to pursue advancement in the practice, research and/or teaching of specialized oral health care.

New and unique opportunities are available through a major training grant - National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) - which was funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute for Dental Research in mid-2008 to provide support for predoctoral students wishing to pursue dual-degree training as dentist-scientists, for dentists desiring to study for a PhD in craniofacial research, and for post-doctoral fellowship students.  The program is administered through the department of Biomedical Sciences at TAMBCD with degrees awarded by the School of Graduate Studies of the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

The office administratively coordinates all faculty and student research projects at TAMBCD. Within the Associate Dean’s office is the Technology Development Office that aids faculty with inventions and interactions with industry. Intramural funding for research and research compliance matters are administered locally. Extramural funding for research is coordinated by the office for administration principally by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and the TAMUS Office of Sponsored Research Services. An additional important resource for faculty members who are writing grants is the Texas A&M University Office of Research Development and Funding.

Contact the Office of Research and Graduate Studies:

Larry L. Bellinger, Ph.D. 
Regents Professor, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
214-828-8322
lbellinger@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Jo Spears
DirectorResearch and Graduate Studies
214-828-8213
jspears@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Richard Cardenas
Program Coordinator, Research and Compliance
214-828-8994
rcardenas@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Colleen West
Administrative Secretary
214-828-8344
cwest@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Lynne Opperman, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Director of Technology Development, Office of Research and Graduate Studies
214-828-8134
lopperman@bcd.tamhsc.edu 

Robert Spears, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Director of Student Research, Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Faculty Advisor, Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry Student Research Group
214-828-8297
rspears@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Kathy Svoboda, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Director, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
214-828-8487
ksvoboda@bcd.tamhsc.edu