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Student lauded for oral health research by Cindy Abole Public Relations Dental Medicine Scientist Training Program student Gabrielle Cannick cares about the health of South Carolinians and others, especially as it relates to early detection of oral cancer.      Cannick was a recipient of the Anthony Westwater Jong Memorial Community Dental Public Health Student Award, a pre-professional award from the American Public Health Association, Oral Health Section in November.   “I’m honored to be recognized with this award,” said Cannick, a Lowcountry native. “Receiving this honor was a nice way to help recognize my research efforts in finding effective ways to educate and prepare dental practitioners about the benefits of oral cancer examinations for their patients.”   Cannick, who is in the sixth year of her eight-year DMD/Ph.D. program, was recognized with other pre-professionals for her research project focusing on oral cancer prevention and early detection education among dental students.      Her presentation, “A Comprehensive Planning and Evaluation Method for Teaching Oral Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Skills to Dental Students,” won for most outstanding community-based research/service project presented by a pre-doctoral student. Cannick completed the doctorate portion of her DMD/Ph.D. program in August and will receive her doctorate in epidemiology. For now, she has returned to her dental studies to complete her second year in clinical dentistry.   “Gabrielle is an exceptional individual, and her research will make a significant contribution to the development of professional education programs throughout the country,” said Dan Lackland, DrPH, professor of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Epidemiology and Cannick’s graduate research advisor. “The specific subject of a curriculum for oral cancer represents a major public health issue. More so, her application of a novel approach to teaching the procedures of oral cancer screening in a cost effective manner  led to her recognition by the American Public Health Association. I am proud to have worked with Gabrielle, and look forward to her progression to be a very successful academic researcher.”   She became interested in oral cancer research work in 2002 after studying and working with Sue Reed, DDS, DrPH, associate professor of stomatology, College of Dental Medicine, and Terry Day, M.D., associate professor and director of Head and Neck Cancer Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology. In 2002, she began work with oral health researcher Alice Horowitz, Ph.D., senior scientist, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health. She returned to the NIH from 2003 to 2004 to continue work in developing an oral cancer prevention and early detection curriculum for dental education programs.   Later, Cannick’s work in oral cancer prevention and detection was published by the American Public Health Association, the Journal of the American Dental Association and Journal of Public Health Dentistry.   Collaborating with dental and epidemiology faculty, Cannick initiated an oral public health focus into MUSC’s dental curriculum in 2005. She specifically looked at assessing student competencies relating to risk factors associated with oral cancer and explored effective examination methods to combat this disease at its earliest stages.   “There’s a great need for increasing our focus of public health dentistry among dental practitioners, patients and students throughout South Carolina,” Cannick said.   Cannick’s oral cancer screening research resulted in other dental research recognition at meetings and public health sessions including Most Outstanding Presentation in Clinical Research, Thomas P. Hinman Dental Society; President’s Award for Excellence in Dental Research and National Student Research Group of the American Association of Dental Research; and first place, Predoctoral Dental Student Merit Competition, American Association of Public Health Dentistry.     Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.