Top prize for Queen’s dental student 

01 April 2015

Laura Graham, a fourth year student at Queen’s, has picked up an acclaimed international dental research prize.

From Portglenone in Co Antrim, Laura won first prize in the Junior Researcher section of the Unilever Hatton Awards, the same accolade won in 2014 by Queen’s student Rebekah Eves.

Held this year at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, the annual competition is open to those who have carried out their research as part of undergraduate/professional training.

The judges awarded Laura the top prize for her presentation on ‘The role of p63 and BRCA1 in Oropharyngeal Cancer’, singling out her subject knowledge and the quality of her research.

Among other criteria, students were examined on the originality and design of their investigation, the suitability of their methods of analysis and the scientific value of their work. Competitors also have to present their science to the general public in a poster presentation, which is also part of the judging process. 

Laura’s presentation was based on research she carried out within the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology (CCRCB) at Queen’s, under the supervision of Dr Jacqueline James, Dr Simon McDade and Dr Stephen McQuaid.

The prizes are sponsored by Unilever Oral Care which supports each winning candidate's airfare, hotel accommodation and IADR meeting registration fees, as well as a monetary prize of $1,600.

Laura (left) is pictured below with Dr Monica Carlile of Unilever Oral Care, IADR President, Yoshimitsu Abiko and Junior Category runner-up Joshua Chong (photo courtesy of IADR).

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR), has its headquarters in Alexandria, Va. USA, and is a nonprofit organisation with nearly 11,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide, while supporting and representing the oral health research community and facilitating the communication and application of research findings. 

Media enquiries to Andrew Kennedy, Queen’s Communications Office on 028 9097 5384 or andrew.kennedy@qub.ac.uk

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