Pittsburgh Craniofacial Sciences Training Program (PCSTP)

About the PCSTP

Pittsburgh Craniofacial Sciences Training Program (PCSTP) was established in 2022 with a goal to train and mentor a new generation of leading scientists in Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial sciences. The program is designed to support predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. The PCSTP provides a highly collaborative, vibrant multidisciplinary environment, where trainees from different backgrounds, i.e., oral and craniofacial sciences, bioengineering, immunology and human genetics, work side by side to develop therapies.

The PCSTP is administered and managed by the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (OCS) with faculty mentors from OCS and other Pitt Dental or University departments. The PCSTP provides courses, research experiences, seminar series, journal clubs, an annual symposium, and an annual retreat. Our trainees have full access to all University resources, such as training in artificial intelligence, the responsible conduct of research, grant writing and many other opportunities. Our trainees benefit from a wealth of seminars, conferences, intramural funding opportunities, and specialized training and experiences available through hundreds of laboratories and clinics across the six schools of the health sciences, Swanson School of Engineering and the Pitt Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI).

Application Process

Applications must be submitted by March 31st each year to be considered for a September 1st. start date.

Application packets may be submitted to the PCSTP Administrator, Ms. Deb Haralam at dmh97@pitt.edu.

Eligibility for Predoc positions

Applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program through the academic department of the faculty mentor.
Candidates pursuing simultaneous DMD and PhD degrees are encouraged.
Applicants may not have a prior doctoral degree (DDS/DMD, MD, PhD).
The applicant must be a United States citizen or permanent resident of the US.
Student trainees are required to participate in the core training requirements while actively funded through grant number T90-DE030853, and plan to submit an individual NRSA application (F- or K‐award) to NIH.

Eligibility for Postdoc positions

Applicants must have a doctoral degree (DDS/DMD, MD, PhD)
Non-US-citizen/non-permanent resident applicants with a DDS/DMD may be foreign trained (for grant number R90-DE030853), and either seeking a PhD or postdoctoral research experience
US citizens or permanent residents are eligible for postdoctoral positions through the T90-DE030853 grant.
All trainees are required to participate in the Core Training Requirements during the months funded through the T90/R90 and are required to submit an individual NRSA application (For K‐award) to NIH.

The T90/R90 grant covers NRSA allowable tuition, stipend, health and dental benefits, as well as support for trainees to travel to various research events.

Application Procedure:

The mentor and the nominated PhD Trainee should work together to provide the following items:

PCSTP Application Cover Page
academic record (unofficial transcript(s) from most recent institution) of the nominee
the nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV)
description of the nominee's research, with the specific aims relevance to oral health
description of career goals and how participation in PCSTP will advance these goals

past funding information (UPitt history and any previous grant appointments)
Three confidential letters of recommendation are required and may be submitted by the mentor to Ms. Deb Haralam.

Applications for admission to the program are considered on a rolling basis. The PCSTP Operating Committee meets quarterly to complete the trainee selection. If you have questions, please contact Deb Haralam.

Training Grant mentors

Name	Research Area	School/Department
Alejandro Almarza	Temporomandibular Joint / Pain. Understanding mechanisms of temporomandibular joint pain and osteoarthritis, using genetic rodent models. Development of novel biomaterials for joint tissue regeneration.	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Elia Beniash	Mineralized Tissues/Biomaterials. Formation, structure and function of mineralized tissues; bioinspired nanomaterials.	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Mariana Bezamat	Craniofacial Genetics/Phenomics of oral health and disease, in connection with systemic health, particularly with cancers and cardiovascular diseases.	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Bryan Brown	Tissue engineering Temporomandibular joint; Host response to biomaterials	Pitt Engineering/ Biomedical Engineering
Daniel Clark	Understanding the immune response in periodontal disease and bone regeneration.	Pitt Dental / Periodontics
Sarah Gaffen	Host defense against infectious disease and autoimmunity. A subset of CD4+ T cells, known as "Th17 cells" based on production of the cytokine IL-17, plays a key role in driving autoimmunity.	Pitt Med / Immunology
Michael Gold	Pain, Neurobiology of nociceptive afferents and their role in peripheral mechanisms of pain.	Pitt Med / Neurobiology
Rebecca Green	Developmental Biology/Craniofacial Genetics. Understanding the relationships between genotype and phenotype in facial development.	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Eleanor Feingold	Human Genetics. Genetic epidemiology of Alzheimer's, Down syndrome, and dental and craniofacial traits	Pitt Public Health / Human Genetics
Giuseppe Intini	Tissue Engineering / Stem Cells/Cancer/Periodontal regeneration. Skeletal and cancer stem cells.	Pitt Dental / Periodontics
Ariadne Letra	Craniofacial Genetics. Genetic basis of craniofacial and oral traits/conditions. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying complex craniofacial and oral conditions.	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Steve Little	Drug Delivery/Tissue Regeneration Periodontal disease, Immunomodulation, Inflammation, Translational Research	Pitt Engineering / Chemical Engineering
Samantha Manna	Craniofacial Genetics. Effects of genetic variations on complex traits and disease	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Mary Marazita	Craniofacial Genetics. Genomics, etiology, and multi-omic studies of craniofacial birth defects and of oral health and disease in children and families	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Dobrawa Napierala	Biology of Mineralized Tissues - Molecular regulation of the biomineralization process; molecular mechanisms and animal models of mineralized tissues diseases	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Hyun Jung (HJ) Park	A. I. Meets Biology development of data-science techniques, AI-driven tools, and statistical inference methods to understand large-scale molecular dynamics.	Pitt Public Health/Human Genetics
John Shaffer	Statistics and Bioinformatics in Human Genetics. Genetic contributors to common complex human diseases, including craniofacial birth defects and oral health and disease.	Pitt Public Health/Human Genetics
Charles Sfeir	Tissue Regeneration/Mineralized tissues. Periodontal disease, Immunomodulation, Inflammation. Translational Research	Pitt Dental / Periodontics
Fatima Syed-Picard	Scaffoldless Tissue Engineering / Stem Cells, nerve regeneration	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Juan Taboas	Tissue Engineering of temporomandibular joint and dental pulp. Cell mechanobiology Translational Research	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
Daniel Weeks	Statistical genetics, both methodological and applied, aimed at exploring the genetics and epigenetics of complex human disease.	Pitt Med / Human Genetics
Seth Weinberg	Craniofacial Genetics/Morphometry - Genetic epidemiology or craniofacial features and malformations; Morphometric studies of craniofacial morphology and variation	Pitt Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Sciences

Charles Sfeir, DDS, PhD

PI and Co‐Director, Pittsburgh Craniofacial Sciences Training Program School of Dental Medicine

csfeir@pitt.edu

Mary L. Marazita, PhD

Co‐Director, Pittsburgh Craniofacial Science Sciences Training Program School of Dental Medicine

marazita@pitt.edu

Funding

The Grant covers NRSA allowable tuition, Stipend, Health and Dental Benefits, and travel to support trainee research.

Application Procedure

Please submit your application packet to Deb Haralam.