19
Volume3 Issue1
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I
ssues and
P
eople
Becoming aClinician-Researcher
ThoughbeingadentistwasnotDr. Emami’sdream jobor lifetimewish, thehonours student
withhighgrades inhealth science startedout asone. Lookingback, she isglad tohavehad
theopportunity tohelpothers in that capacity, but shewantedmore. “Although I had total job
satisfaction, inside Iwas sorrynot tohavepursuedpostgraduateeducation: I love tobeat school,
to learnand learn!”
Scientificcuriositycompelledher tobemore thanaclinician,while thedesire tomaintaindirect
contactwithpatients succeeded inhelpingher tobridge thegapbetween researchandclinical
care.When theopportunityarose, she returned to school, studyingprosthodontics. “You treat
patientswhohave lost oneof themajor bodyparts, their teeth, andyou try togive themback their
daily life functions andwell-being—things suchas eating, speakingand smilingwithconfidence,”
sheexplained.
At theundergraduate level, Dr. Emami’s thesiswork involvedan interdisciplinarycommunity
project investigatinghowdentistsor their patients couldbe involved indrugabuse. “Thiswasmy
introduction to researchand its role inclinical dentistry,” she said.
Later, as adentistworking inpublicandprivate sectors indiversegeographical locations and
withdifferent populationandagegroups, shebegan tounderstandhowdifferent biological,
environmental and societal factors can influenceoral health. “Iwas able to resolve someofmy
patients’ oral healthproblems,” she said, “but therewasno scientificevidence to support therapies
formanyothers. Thusmymind turned tocertainhypotheses Iwished to test.”
Themost compellingaspect of researchingoral health forDr. Emami is that “theburden
of poor oral healthand its associatedcosts areconsiderable.” Sheexplained, “Evidence
shows anassociationbetweenoral healthandqualityof life, psychosocial disabilities
and systematicdiseases.”
FosteringOral HealthThrough Interdisciplinary
Research
DR. ELHAMEMAMI
ElhamEmami
Dr.ElhamEmami
is a recipient of a
Canadian Institutes
ofHealthResearch
(CIHR)Clinician
Scientist program
award, funded
through the Institute
ofMusculoskeletal
HealthandArthritis
(IMHA).Her
research focus is an
interdisciplinary
project examining
access todental care
andapatient-centred
outcome.
Clinician-researcher-dentist. Peoplewith thiscombinationofprofessionsare rareandmuch-needed in
thefieldoforalhealth research.Dr. ElhamEmami is thatandmore. Aclinical scientistwithamaster’s
degree inprosthodontics from theUniversityofMontreal, she isanassociateprofessor in theDepartment
ofRestorativeDentistry, directorof theOralHealthandRehabilitationResearchUnit, anda research
associateat theUniversityofMontrealHospital ResearchCentre (CRCHUM). AtMcGillUniversity,
where shecompletedadoctoral program inbiomedical science through the jointMcGill–Universityof
Montreal program, she isanadjunctprofessor in theFacultyofDentistry. Lastbutnot least,Dr. Emami
heldpostdoctoral fellowships inbothdental publichealth (McGill), andcancer epidemiologywith the
Environmental EpidemiologyandPopulationHealth researchgroup (UniversityofMontreal).
Evidence shows anassociationbetween oral healthandquality
of life, psychosocial disabilities and systematic diseases.
