Praveen Gajendrareddy, DDS, PhD

Praveen Gajendrareddy, DDS, PhD, 2011 Teaching Fellow:

1. What is your research focus?

My research interest is in inflammation, regeneration, wound healing and health outcomes. My recent focus has been on methods to enhance osteoinductive and osteointegrative properties of bone graft materials and dental implants.

2. What has/have been the most significant contribution(s) of your research to our specialty?

I believe that more significant contributions are yet to come. I feel humble in the presence of extraordinary researchers that our field has had. In a small way, my research has added to a better understanding of how psychological stress affects wound healing and how healing is affected in individuals with periodontitis.

3. What are some future directions of your research program?

My projects for the near future will evaluate ways to enhance osteoinductive properties of bone graft materials. I would like for my research to contribute to predictable regeneration of hard and soft tissues.

4. What influence did the support from the Foundation have on your career as a researcher?

To be able to pursue one's passion in academia is a privilege often snatched away by the financial pressures that one experiences early on in their careers. The support from the foundation provided me with much needed support at a crucial time in my career and allowed me to pursue an academic path. I am thankful for the support and hope to contribute to the foundation and the specialty in a way that makes this support meaningful.