Dental Clinical Research Fellowship Program
NIDCR offers a research fellowship to dentists interested in an academic career. An independent clinical research project with relevance to human disease or health is the focus of the fellowship.
The NIDCR Dental Clinical Research Fellowship is a two-three year, full-time, on-site program designed to provide experience in the latest clinical and translational research methodologies. Fellowships begin on July 1 of each calendar year.
Since 2010, NIDCR has offered fellows an individualized curriculum that supports professional development tailored to the goals of each fellow. Fellows participate in weekly Clinical Case Conferences, Grand Rounds, career development workshops, and lab-based journal clubs, which highlight current research on a wide range of oral and craniofacial conditions and give fellows the opportunity to interact with experts in their fields. Fellows develop a Clinicopathologic Conference based on their work and may engage in additional training and education in grant writing, research design and management, pharmacology, biostatistics, regulatory aspects of clinical research, and bioethics through the NIH Clinical Center. In the final year of their fellowship, fellows give a capstone presentation on their research and have the opportunity to serve as Chief Fellow.
Fellows have modest clinical service responsibilities at the NIH Clinical Center Dental Clinic within NIDCR’s intramural program in Bethesda, Maryland. The Dental Clinic supports clinical and translational research and offers oral medicine, oral surgery, and hospital dentistry consultation services for the unique patient population of the NIH Clinical Center. Clinical competence is expected, as the Fellowship is NOT an advanced clinical training program.
Fellows also have the option of participating in the NIH-Duke Master’s Program in Clinical Research, which is one of the nation’s first training programs in clinical research. A Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Research is awarded by the Duke University School of Medicine upon completion of required coursework in research design and management, medical genomics, statistical analysis, and a final project.
Fellows work with investigators (clinical or basic science) in the NIDCR intramural research program, as well as other NIH institutes, to develop and complete an independent clinical and translational research study. NIDCR intramural clinical research focuses on salivary gland pathology, oral immunology/microbiology and periodontal disease, oral chronic graft-versus-host disease, novel approaches to pain, bone metabolic abnormalities and fibrous dysplasia, bone regeneration, bone marrow stromal stem cell therapy, and craniofacial anomalies.
For more information about possible research areas and mentors, see:
- Research Conducted at NIDCR (Intramural) for intramural research opportunities
- NIDCR Clinical Research Protocols
To apply for this fellowship, please see:
Includes details about fellowship, eligibility, and how to apply.
Staff Contacts
October 2025