College of Dentistry: News

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry student Kaitrin Baloue was elected President-Elect of the National Student Research Group (NSRG) of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), a national post. She is President-Elect in 2010-11 and will be President in 2011-12.

Baloue spent the last year on the NSRG board as Member-at-Large, which “gave me the ability to learn and understand how the NSRG board functions and operates,” she explained. “Member-at-Large was a unique position because it allowed me to be a part of every aspect of the board.”

With experience as President of the Student Research Group (SRG) at the College, she decided to run for NSRG President because, “with the experience and knowledge I have gained this past year, I am able to continue to guide this organization towards its goals and represent the student dental researcher to the best of my ability,” Baloue said. “I also felt encouraged to run by my peers. The opportunity to meet students, to hear about their research, and to listen to their concerns and ambitions is a key element to the position of President and one of the many reasons I decided to run.”

The NSRG, she feels, is “critical” to the AADR. “NSRG is the voice of student researchers across dental schools, and it is important that the leaders reflect the student body that they represent,” Baloue said.

The President serves as a voting member of the AADR Board of Directors, is the NSRG’s official representative to other groups in organized dentistry, and attends NSRG and AADR meetings. Her work will bring her to Alexandria, VA; San Diego, CA; and Tampa, FL, among other locations.

The first-ever President of the NSRG was Dr. Phillip Marucha, Associate Dean for Research at the College.

At the College, Baloue does research in the lab of Dr. David Crowe, Professor, Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases. “We are working on a project where we are trying to figure out how diet or obesity at early stages of development, such as in utero, can affect cancer risk in kids later,” she explained. “This is a unique model representative of a physiological situation of how the diet of a pregnant mother affects cancer risk of her children later in life.”

Baloue always was interested in research, and is in the DDS/PhD program at the College. As an undergrad at U of I Champaign, she worked in a neuroscience lab and did externships offsite.

“It was my externship at University of Pennsylvania that really interested me in the dual degree program at the College,” Baloue explained “I worked with a mentor who was an MD/PhD and was the best example for me of someone who used both degrees well.

“I knew that I wanted to combine research with a career in healthcare,” she continued. “I spent a semester shadowing a dentist down in Champaign and was convinced that dental clinician-researcher would be the best fit for me.

“I was attracted to the program at UIC because of the strong research, the great mentors, and the uniqueness of the program,” Baloue said. “I think that a great deal of effort goes into to tailoring the program to fit the needs of each individual student, and that really helped make my decision to pursue a combined degree easier.”

For information about the NSRG or AADR, contact Baloue at kbaloue2@uic.edu.

Mat Wietecha is the new President of the College’s SRG.