Planning a career in dentistry, Christine Tran searched for a research program at a dental college to fill the summer lull between her junior and senior years while a student at the University of Houston in 2024. She wanted to learn ways dentistry impacts the broader health care system. 

“With a growing interest in dentistry, I was eager to find a program where I could contribute to oral health research that translates into tangible progress for the field,” she said. “I felt a strong inclination to look into research that could give back to (low-income) populations.” 

Tran found that in the Biomedical Informatics and Behavioral Sciences Summer Research Program at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry in Dallas. She’s now a first-year dental student at A&M Dentistry, in part, thanks to what she learned at the nine-week program nicknamed BIBS. 

BIBS welcomes undergraduate and graduate students to conduct oral health research with a focus on public health. Students work on improving health communications and patient trust to improve community oral health.   

The coursework and activities focus on biomedical informatics and behavioral sciences. Students learn programming, statistics, tools for analyzing large datasets, and they are introduced to codes specific to dental procedures and dental public health; they also take field trips, including to A&M Dentistry’s M.C. Cooper Dental Clinic, which serves adults in the Frazier Community in South Dallas. 

BIBS aims to expand the number of dental professionals who understand the link between oral health and behavioral sciences. It’s the only program of its kind focused on oral health care, said Peggy Timothé, associate professor and program director of the dental public health residency in public health sciences at A&M Dentistry. 

“What I enjoy most is seeing how eager the summer interns are to learn about dentistry,” she said. “What surprises me most is that our program is the students’ first introduction to public health, especially dental public health.” 

Funded with a $125,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine, BIBS offers seven spots for students this summer. The deadline to apply is Feb. 27. More information and applications are available at Biomedical Informatics and Behavioral Sciences (BIBS) Summer Research Program. 

Each accepted undergraduate student will receive a $5,502 stipend and must have completed at least one year of college. Each accepted graduate student will receive a $6,500 stipend. 

While it’s hosted by A&M Dentistry, students in all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply if they’re interested in oral public health research and careers in research after graduation, said Timothé and Matthew Garcia, program coordinator in public health sciences at A&M Dentistry. 

Each student pairs with a mentor to develop a plan and conduct research. Mentors include A&M Dentistry faculty and other dental professionals from across the United States, both in person and remotely.  

“We are planning for more in-person learning,” Timothé said. “We also want to focus more on coding skills.” 

Students present their research at the Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session in College Station.  

Tran said the internship introduced her to the intricacies of Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program that helps pay for the health care of low-income people. That includes the trend of decreasing reimbursements for providers. 

“My experience in the program has fueled my passion for public health advocacy, and I think the discipline of public health in dentistry is underappreciated…,” Tran said. “There’s a big need for continued research in public health for the betterment of everyone.”