Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque

Help Us Shape NIDCR’s Future: Share Your Ideas for the 2027-2031 Strategic Plan by Monday, September 14, 2026

Welcome to the inaugural issue of a series we’re calling Director’s Messages. Each month, you’ll hear from me on important and timely topics relevant to dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) health and science. Through these messages, I intend to provide a direct and regular line of communication with the DOC community on the issues that matter to you most. That communication goes both ways. I want to hear from you, too—your thoughts, questions, and topics you’d like me to address. Reach out any time by emailing nidcrdirectormessage@mail.nih.gov.

More Ways to Stay Engaged

Join us at the next National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council meeting on September 9, 2026. Watch this page for the agenda and details on how to attend.

By joining our thrice-yearly Council meetings, you can stay up to date on NIDCR activities, hear from outside experts on DOC-related scientific topics, and learn of relevant NIH-wide developments and initiatives.

Every five years, NIDCR staff come together to map out the institute’s scientific and programmatic trajectory over the next half-decade. Over the course of a year or more, working groups form, lively discussions ensue, and a basic framework is developed. Critical to this process is the input we receive from the DOC community. We rely on your unique perspectives on the gaps, challenges, and opportunities you encounter in your day-to-day work to shape a strategic plan that is responsive to those needs. Your feedback is essential to ensuring that the next strategic plan can position the DOC research enterprise to meet current demands while remaining adaptable to future scientific opportunities.

Advancing foundational knowledge of DOC health and disease will continue to be a cornerstone of NIDCR’s mission, and it will enable NIDCR to move from discovery to actionable precision health solutions. As NIDCR looks to the future, there is a growing need for science that not only builds on these foundations but also anticipates and responds to emerging public health challenges, technological advances, and evolving patient and community needs. We want to hear your ideas about how we can best achieve these outcomes.

To this end, we have issued a Request for Information (RFI) to invite input from the DOC community.

Who do we want to hear from?

We welcome input from researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific and professional societies, federal partners, and other interested members of the public.

What kind of input do we seek?

We want to hear your ideas on research needs, gaps, opportunities, and emerging scientific areas relevant to DOC health and disease, in the following topic areas:

  • Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
    To advance scientific discovery across the research continuum, foster innovation to prevent disease and promote health, and develop improved diagnostics, treatments, interventions, and cures
  • Integration of DOC Research, Data, and Care with the Greater Biomedical Enterprise
    To optimize integration of DOC research, data, and clinical care with the broader biomedical enterprise and strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration, harmonized data systems, and accelerated translation of discoveries into coordinated clinical practice
  • DOC Research Capacity
    To strengthen and sustain a robust, interdisciplinary research workforce and enhance the infrastructure, tools, and resources needed to support high-quality research
  • DOC Research Operations
    To improve the management and conduct of research through effective stewardship, data-driven decision making, transparency, and accountability to enhance public trust

What will NIDCR do with your comments?

Your responses will be considered by NIDCR leadership and staff, in coordination with the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council, in shaping the strategic plan. If you prefer, you may submit your comments anonymously.

How can you submit your comments?

To submit comments and find additional background on NIDCR’s strategic planning process, visit the Request for Information page Inviting Comments and Suggestions on Topic Areas for the NIDCR Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031. Submit your response no later than 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday, September 14, 2026.

How can you learn more?

Join one of NIDCR’s informational webinars scheduled for Thursday, August 27, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. (ET), or Wednesday, September 2, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET). You’ll hear more about the process for developing the new strategic plan, the topic areas outlined above, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions of NIDCR leadership. Visit the event page to sign up (registration is required).

What’s next?

Once we’ve considered input from inside and outside NIDCR, the writing process will begin. We anticipate releasing the final version of the plan in 2027. Look out for a future Director’s Message where I’ll announce the plan’s release and highlight key messages.

We look forward to hearing from you about how we can continue to build on NIDCR’s robust history of scientific excellence to improve oral and overall health for all.

With sincere gratitude,

Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, Acting Director