Dental research leader returns to the bench

No longer at the reins of research for the UNMC College of Dentistry, Jeffrey Payne, D.D.S., now has more time to get back to some of the things he loves.

The F. Gene and Rosemary Dixon Endowed Chair in Dentistry and professor in the department of surgical specialties stepped down from his position as associate dean for research earlier this year.

He’s turned his full attention to teaching and working with students in the clinics, and his own research projects.

“It was a difficult decision to make. I enjoyed the position, but the timing is right, especially with the college embarking on a new five-year strategic plan. It will be a good opportunity for someone else to lead the next phase of our research program,” Dr. Payne said.

During Dr. Payne’s 17-year tenure in research administration, the College of Dentistry has enjoyed numerous successes and a renewed forward momentum.

“Dr. Payne’s outstanding leadership has resulted in many accomplishments,” said Janet Guthmiller, D.D.S., Ph.D., dean of the College of Dentistry.

Those include:

• Converting outdated research/teaching labs and a locker room to functional research space that assisted in the recruitment of new research faculty;
• Propelling the college to rank in the top half of all dental schools in the country based on funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2001, a feat that the college had achieved only twice previously in its history — in 1977 and 1979;
• Developing and promoting research opportunities for students at all levels including expansion of travel awards for students to present at national meetings. Last year, 15 dental students presented at the International Association for Dental Research/American Association for Dental Research annual meeting;
• Assisting junior faculty in establishing their research programs with start-up equipment awards and infrastructure support;
• Committing to the improvement of the research culture and support of faculty in their pursuit of research excellence through seed grants, student summer research fellowships and travel to national meetings;
• Supporting students and faculty in competing for and achieving national recognition for their scholarly activities; and
• Leading the self-study research standards that resulted in favorable accreditation reviews by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation in 2000, 2007 and 2014.

Dr. Payne now looks forward to studying the relationship among periodontitis (a primary cause of tooth loss in adults), Porphyromonas gingivalis (an organism strongly associated with periodontitis), and rheumatoid arthritis, a research project he works collaboratively on with UNMC’s Ted Mikuls, M.D., a rheumatologist in the department of internal medicine.