Morandini Earns IADR Young Investigator Award

Dr. Ana Carolina Morandini, Associate Professor of Oral Biology at the Dental College of Georgia, has been honored with the esteemed IADR Sigmund Socransky Young Investigator Award. This prestigious accolade was presented at the 103rd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), held June 25-28 in Barcelona, Spain.

The award is an annual honor bestowed by the IADR Periodontal Research Group and recognizes outstanding contributions to periodontal research from promising young scientists. It is considered the highest accolade in the field of periodontology, acknowledging individuals under 40 who have not yet achieved a full professorship or chairmanship but have made significant advancements in periodontal biological or clinical research.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored by this recognition,” said Dr. Morandini. “You never expect this kind of honor. I think it’s the biggest achievement of my career so far.” Reflecting on the significance of the award, she added, “I grew up reading the papers of these important scientists. And when I look at the list of people who won this award before, it is a list of references and inspirations to me.” She specifically noted the dean of Harvard School of Dental Medicine as a past recipient.

Morandini is the first award winner from Augusta University and only the fourth female researcher to receive this distinguished honor in its nearly 30-year history. This significant milestone underscores the growing inclusion and impact of women in periodontal research.

Dr. Nancy Young, dean of the DCG, reflected on the magnitude of this recognition.

“This recognition is truly a magnificent testament to Dr. Morandini’s profound contributions and unwavering dedication within the field of periodontology,” she said. “And it reflects precisely the caliber of innovation we champion here at AU.”

The award celebrates Morandini’s pioneering research, particularly her innovative approach to understanding disease. “The approach that we are taking to study the role of nucleotide-metabolizing enzymes in periodontitis is something that was not done before,” Morandini said. Her work focuses on challenging conventional wisdom in periodontal research by investigating fibroblasts, cells previously considered only “resident stromal cells” and not primary drivers of inflammation.

“When we started studying these cells, we saw that they could be protagonists in inflammatory response,” Morandini said. Her research delves into purinergic pathways, examining how endogenous molecules within cells can leak out during inflammation, such as in gum disease, and act as “danger signals” that could shape the magnitude of the host response. This has led to groundbreaking insights into the communication between gum cells with bone cells and their contribution to systemic diseases like obesity or metabolic disorders.

“For a long time, we focused on the bacterial side of the story in periodontics – pathogenic bacteria,” she said. “But there is the  other side of the story, which is the host response. How the individual metabolism will respond to microbial dysbiosisand present a disproportional response.”

Morandini emphasized that this award is a testament to collaborative effort. “This is not a recognition of my work, but of the work that we have been doing as a team at the DCG,” she said. “The team who carried me throughout the years – my mentors, my collaborators, my students, the lab technicians – their names don’t appear here, but the award belongs to all of us. It takes a village behind you to build and support great science. For example, my husband (Dr. Erivan Schnaider Ramos Junior, Assistant Professor of Oral Biology) is my research partner, and also my support system.”

This prestigious recognition has already opened new professional doors for her, including an invitation to present at the highly prominent University of Pennsylvania Dental Medicine periodontal meeting, which convenes every two years.

For Morandini, the award ceremony in Barcelona held a deeply personal significance. “Fifteen years ago, I went to the same convention center as a graduate student to present my first poster as a representative of the University of Sao Paulo,” she recounted. She hadn’t made the connection until she walked into the center’s doors again and the memory returned. “Now I’m back with my own lab.”

Beyond her groundbreaking research, Dr. Morandini is also embracing new roles, entering the teaching season and celebrating her two kids at home, Anthony and  9-month-old baby, Benicio.

Morandini previously won the American and International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR and IADR) 2023 Joseph Lister Awards for New Investigators and the Most Valuable Faculty Award by the DMD Class of 2025 at Augusta University. She was also recently awarded a Multi-PI $2M grant, “Metabolic-Purinergic fitness in periodontal health and disease,” with her research partner, Ramos, from the National Institutes of Health.