“As the new department head, a key priority will be to enhance the periodontal and dental implant experiences for predoc and postgrad students,” Dr. Nares said. “I intend to take a hands-on approach to the educational mission of the College.”
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Dr. Nares is a practicing periodontist. His clinical interests include hard- and soft-tissue management in the esthetic zone and fostering interdisciplinary experiences for students/residents in the care of the complex periodontal and implant patient.
“I intend to work closely with Dr. Praveen Gajendrareddy,our new program director, to enhance the residents’ clinical and didactic experiences,” Dr. Nares continued. “I also look forward to working closely with the faculty, staff, and residents to strengthen the clinical research capabilities within the department.”
Dean Bruce Graham welcomed Dr. Nares, and noted, “He has exciting plans to build on the excellence of the Department of Periodontics and its teaching and research programs.”
Dr. Nares most recently was associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Periodontology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.
After earning his DDS, PhD, and Certificate of Specialty in Periodontology from the Baylor College of Dentistry at Texas A&M University in Dallas, Dr. Nares completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Oral Infection and Immunity Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIDCR/NIH) at Bethesda, Md.
The author of 26 scientific articles and 28 abstracts in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Nares also has been an invited moderator of the Astra Tech World Congress and session chair for the Astra Tech Platform for Exchange of Education and Research Symposium.
Dr. Nares is the principal investigator of research grants funded by the NIDCR and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry Research Foundation. His primary translational research focus is on the post-transcriptional modulation of mucosal immunity by microRNA and the role of antigen-presenting cells in the inflammatory response to periodontal pathogens. His clinical research interests include the histological and molecular characterization of early bone healing after dental implant placement and piezotome ultrasonic instrumentation.
He is a diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology and a member of the American Dental Association and the International and American Associations for Dental Research, and is a reviewer of manuscripts for several dental journals.
The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry is celebrating its 100th year as a college of the University of Illinois in 2013 with special events throughout the year under the theme “A Proud Past, A Brilliant Future.”
