Travis Nelson | Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Travis Nelson | Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

University of Washington, United States

Dr. Travis M. Nelson, DDS, MSD, MPH, is a distinguished pediatric dentist and academic leader with extensive expertise in clinical practice, research, and education. He earned his BA from Walla Walla College in 2003, DDS from Loma Linda University in 2007, and MSD/MPH from the University of Washington in 2010. Currently a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Washington, he has held multiple academic appointments, including Clinical and Tenure-Track Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Interim Predoctoral Director, Graduate Program Director, and Acting Chair, demonstrating strong leadership and commitment to advancing pediatric oral health education. Dr. Nelson’s professional experience is complemented by his service on the medical staff at Seattle Children’s Hospital and active involvement in professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Western Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and American Dental Education Association. His research interests focus on pediatric oral health, early childhood caries prevention, dental sedation and anesthesia, and improving access to dental care for children with special needs. He has authored 37 publications with 521 citations and an h-index of 12, reflecting significant contributions to the scientific literature. Dr. Nelson is highly skilled in clinical pediatric dentistry, procedural sedation, dental public health research, and interdisciplinary program development. His numerous awards and honors include the Law Lewis Endowed Chair, multiple UW Pediatric Dentistry Resident Teaching Awards, Jerome B. Miller “For the Kids” Award, recognition as a Top Dentist by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, and multiple national and international research fellowships and scholarships. He has also mentored numerous graduate students and residents, guiding impactful research projects on pediatric sedation, dental behavior, and preventive care. Overall, Dr. Nelson’s career exemplifies a seamless integration of clinical excellence, innovative research, and educational leadership, positioning him as a leading figure in pediatric dentistry whose work continues to advance knowledge, improve clinical outcomes, and foster the development of future dental professionals.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

  1. Nelson, T. M., Berg, J. H., Bell, J. F., Leggott, P. J., & Seminario, A. L. (2011). Assessing the effectiveness of text messages as appointment reminders in a pediatric dental setting. Journal of the American Dental Association, 142(4), 397–405.

  2. Nelson, T. M. (2011). The key to caries prevention. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, 9(7), 48–50, 52–53.

  3. Nelson, T. M. (2012). The consequences of convenience. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, 10(2), 30–32, 34.

  4. Nelson, T. M. (2013). An improved interim therapeutic restoration (ITR) technique for management of anterior early childhood caries. Pediatric Dentistry, 35(4), 124–128.

  5. Nelson, T., & Nelson, G. (2013). The role of sedation in contemporary pediatric dentistry. Dental Clinics of North America, 57(1), 145–161.

Dr. Travis M. Nelson’s work advances pediatric oral health by improving early childhood caries prevention, optimizing sedation and anesthesia protocols, and expanding access to dental care for children with special needs. His research and educational initiatives bridge clinical practice and public health, fostering healthier communities and shaping the next generation of dental professionals globally.

Ricardo Osorio | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Ricardo Osorio | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

NYU Grossman School of Medicine, United States

Dr. Ricardo Osorio is a distinguished neuropsychiatrist and researcher specializing in the intersection of sleep, aging, and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. He earned his M.D. from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain) in 2001, followed by multiple master’s degrees in Psychotherapy, Neuroscience, and Neuropsychology from Universidad Comillas and Universidad Complutense, Madrid, with a focus on executive function and cognitive aging. His clinical training includes residencies in psychiatry at 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, internships in neurology at McGill University, Montreal, and neuropsychiatry at the Institute of Neurology, London, as well as postdoctoral neuroscience training at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Osorio’s professional career encompasses roles as attending psychiatrist in several Spanish hospitals, research scientist at Alzheimer’s Project Research Unit (CIEN Foundation) in Madrid, and progressive academic appointments at NYU School of Medicine and the Healthy Brain Aging and Sleep Center, where he is now a tenured associate professor. His research interests focus on sleep disorders as risk factors for neurodegeneration, slow-wave sleep and sleep spindle physiology, memory consolidation, and advanced neuroimaging techniques including PET imaging of glucose metabolism, amyloid, and tau in normal aging, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease. He possesses expertise in clinical psychiatry, cognitive assessment, neuroimaging analysis, sleep research methodologies, and interdisciplinary translational research. Dr. Osorio has received numerous awards and honors, including international fellowships, the Spanish National Psychiatry Residents Research Award, the Anne Elizabeth Suratt Young Investigator Award, and departmental mentorship recognitions. He has authored 130 publications, accumulated 9,893 citations, and holds an h-index of 44, reflecting his impactful contributions to science and clinical practice. Dr. Osorio’s work bridges neuroscience and clinical application, advancing understanding of cognitive aging, informing early detection strategies for Alzheimer’s disease, and contributing to the development of interventions that benefit patients and society at large, marking him as a leading figure in neuropsychiatric research and aging studies.

Profiles: Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

  1. Bernard, M. A., Boutajangout, A., Debure, L., Ahmed, W., Briggs, A. Q., Boza-Calvo, C., Vedvyas, A., Marsh, K., Bubu, O. M., Osorio, R. S., et al. (2024, July 10). The relationship between anxiety and levels of Alzheimer’s disease plasma biomarkers. Preprint.

  2. Iosifescu, D. V., Song, X., Gersten, M. B., Adib, A., Cho, Y., Collins, K. M., Yates, K. F., Hurtado-Puerto, A. M., McEachern, K. M., Osorio, R. S., et al. (2023, July 13). Protocol report on the transcranial photobiomodulation for Alzheimer’s disease (TRAP-AD) study. Healthcare, 11(14), 2017.

  3. Parasoglou, P., Osorio, R. S., Khegai, O., Kovbasyuk, Z., Miller, M., Ho, A., Dehkharghani, S., Wisniewski, T., Convit, A., Mosconi, L., et al. (2022, December). Phosphorus metabolism in the brain of cognitively normal midlife individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Neuroimage: Reports, 2, 100121.

  4. Lal, C., Ayappa, I., Ayas, N., Beaudin, A. E., Hoyos, C., Kushida, C. A., Kaminska, M., Mullins, A., Naismith, S. L., Osorio, R. S., et al. (2022, August). The link between obstructive sleep apnea and neurocognitive impairment: An official American Thoracic Society workshop report. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 19(8), 1250–1267.

  5. Teipel, S., Bruno, D., Plaska, C. R., Heslegrave, A., Ramos-Cejudo, J., Osorio, R. S., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., & Pomara, N. (2021, October). Association of CSF sTREM2, a marker of microglia activation, with cholinergic basal forebrain volume in major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 1017–1025.

Dr. Ricardo Osorio’s work advances the understanding of sleep and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, by identifying early risk factors and therapeutic targets. His research bridges neuroscience and clinical practice, improving strategies for diagnosis, prevention, and intervention, thereby benefiting patients, healthcare systems, and society globally.

Seo-Eun Choi | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Seo-Eun Choi | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

University of Washington, United States

Dr. Seo-Eun Choi is a distinguished Senior Research Scientist at the University of Washington, specializing in statistical applications in biomedical research, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Florida State University, an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and a B.S. in Statistics with a minor in Computer Science from Ewha Womans University, South Korea. Over her career, Dr. Choi has developed deep expertise in Bayesian modeling, model selection, categorical and multivariate data analysis, spatio-temporal modeling, psychometrics, and neuroimaging data analysis. She has led and contributed to numerous international and interdisciplinary research projects, producing a strong publication record of 96 documents with 728 citations and an h-index of 12, highlighting her influence in both statistical methodology and clinical applications. Her research skills include advanced statistical computing, data visualization, and application of complex statistical models to large-scale neuroimaging and clinical datasets. Dr. Choi is an active member of the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) and the American Statistical Association (ASA), reflecting her engagement with the broader scientific community and commitment to advancing collaborative research initiatives. Her contributions have been recognized through multiple awards and honors for excellence in statistical research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and mentorship, demonstrating her leadership and impact on the field. Looking forward, Dr. Choi’s work has significant potential to advance high-impact publications in Q1 journals, expand global collaborations, and provide mentorship to emerging researchers, thereby influencing both methodological innovation and practical applications in neurodegenerative disease research. Her combination of expertise, experience, and dedication makes her an exemplary candidate for recognition, reflecting outstanding contributions to science, research leadership, and societal impact in the field of biostatistics and neuroscience.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

  1. Jutten, R. J., Grandoit, E., Foldi, N. S., Sikkes, S. A. M., Jones, R. N., Choi, S. E., … et al. (2020). Lower practice effects as a marker of cognitive performance and dementia risk: A literature review. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 12(1), 1–12.

  2. Mukherjee, S., Mez, J., Trittschuh, E. H., Saykin, A. J., Gibbons, L. E., Fardo, D. W., … et al. (2020). Genetic data and cognitively defined late-onset Alzheimer’s disease subgroups. Molecular Psychiatry, 25(11), 2942–2951.

  3. Choi, S. E., Mukherjee, S., Gibbons, L. E., Sanders, R. E., Jones, R. N., Tommet, D., … et al. (2020). Development and validation of language and visuospatial composite scores in ADNI. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 6(1), e12024.

  4. Eissman, J. M., Dumitrescu, L., Mahoney, E. R., Smith, A. N., Mukherjee, S., Lee, M. L., … et al. (2022). Sex differences in the genetic architecture of cognitive resilience to Alzheimer’s disease. Brain, 145(7), 2541–2554.

  5. Mukherjee, S., Choi, S. E., Lee, M. L., Scollard, P., Trittschuh, E. H., Mez, J., … et al. (2020). Cognitive domain harmonization and co-calibration in studies of older adults. Neuropsychology, 37(4), 409–423.