Our Bureau
Omaha, NE
Sangamesh Gurappa Kumbar, PhD, has been named associate dean for research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry. Dr. Kumbar, who joined UNMC earlier this year and has his lab on the Omaha campus, took on the role effective Oct. 1.
Dr. Kumbar’s own research focuses on synthesizing and characterizing novel biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery. His laboratory specializes in tissue instructive micro- and nanostructures designed to enhance tissue regeneration and control drug delivery.
Dr. Kumbar said collaboration is the key to his vision for his new role.
“We often work in silos, focusing on our individual R01, our own projects,” he said. “When individuals join forces, they can complete research that could not be accomplished by a single person — in terms of grants, in terms of translational research, on every level.”
Dr. Kumbar, a professor in the UNMC Department of Growth and Development, already is working on collaborations with the UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering. He hopes to expand UNMC College of Dentistry collaborations, as well as his own, to other departments at UNMC, UNL, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and throughout the University of Nebraska System as he moves ahead in his new role.
“When I was hired originally, it was intended that I become a bridge between the UNMC College of Dentistry and the UNO College of Engineering,” Dr. Kumbar said. “That is the reason I am in Omaha, to connect and create collaboration.
“Right now, the university has great researchers. My goal is to try to connect the college with them. As soon as I got here, I started collaborating with musculoskeletal engineering researchers, with Drs. Edward Fehringer in orthopedic surgery and Dong Wang in pharmaceutical sciences, as well as others. I hope to work with osteoarthritis and rheumatology specialists, orthopedic surgeons and others to address their unmet need in the clinical setting.”
“Dr. Kumbar is an exceptional scholar whose visionary work bridges basic science and translational innovation,” said Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, dean of the college.
