Bedran-Russo Research Group Members

Ana Bedran-Russo, D.D.S, M.S., Ph.D.

Professor and Chair - Department of General Dental Sciences

ana.bedran-russo@marquette.edu

Ana Bedran-Russo received her D.D.S. degree from the University of São Paulo and Masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Campinas. After graduation, she completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Bedran-Russo was Professor and Director of Applied Dental Biomaterials and Interfaces program, as well as Program Director of the Multidisciplinary Oral Sciences Training program during her 15-year tenure at University of Illinois at Chicago. As a clinician-scientist, she utilizes her experience as a dentist and biomaterials researcher to understand functional aspects of dental tissues components towards the goal of strengthening and sustaining the natural dentition.

Dr. Bedran-Russo has published over 125 peer-reviewed papers, 4 book chapters and over 170 abstracts. Her research has been supported by the NIH since 2006 as well as industry and association contracts. She is actively involved in the leadership of professional associations, including chair of the ADA Council of Scientific Affairs, Councilor of the Academy of Operative Dentistry, past-president DMG/IADR, past board member Academy of Dental Materials. In addition, she is on the editorial board of JADA and serves as reviewer of many journals.

Mariana Reis - Postdoctoral Fellow

mariana.reis@marquette.edu

 Dr. Reis joined Dr. Bedran-Russo’s research group in January 2018. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomaterials and a D.D.S. degree from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Her research interests included dentin, biomaterials, collagen and proteins. Her research expertise is on spectroscopy, biomechanics and proteomics. She currently is working on studies of dentin and dentin extracellular matrix biomimetic strategies using plant-derived proanthocyanidins. More specifically, her focus as a researcher is to analyze the nanomechanical properties, chemical modifications of the extracellular matrix induced by PACs, and the long-term stability of the biomodified dentin matrix. As a postdoctoral fellow, she is also responsible to train and supervise undergraduate and predoctoral research volunteer, encouraging their development in the scientific field.

Odair Bim Júnior - Postdoctoral Fellow

odair.bimjunior@marquette.edu

Dr. Bim holds a Ph.D. in Dentistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), where he also received a dental degree in 2009. He has dedicated his studies and work to the development of biomaterials and biomimetic approaches for the repair of dental tissues. Dr. Bim was delighted to join Bedran Russo’s lab to help elucidate the bioactivities of robust plant-derived compounds, with a particular interest in their potential role in the biomineralization process.

Roxanna Bahmani - Research Fellow

roxanna.bahmani@marquette.edu

Dr. Bahmani is a trained dentist from Tehran, Iran. She graduated in 2013. She moved to U.S. in 2018 to pursue dentistry. In 2021, Her passion for advancement and research in the field of dentistry drove her to join Dr. Bedran-Russo's research group at Marquette School of Dentistry. She is involved in research areas where the focus is on biomaterials and analyzing mechanical behavior of biomodified dentin. She is eager to learn from her team members and enjoys helping the team to deliver the outcome.

Golfam Poursepanj - Research Fellow

poursepanj.golfam@marquette.edu

Dr. Poursepanj is a passionate dentist and researcher who graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, one of the top dental schools in the middle east. She did a lot of research on using plants extract in the prevention and treatment of dental and oral disease. She enjoys working with Dr. Berden-Russo's research group to develop her knowledge and skills in the effectiveness of plants extract in dentistry.

Zachary Jacobs - D.D.S Student

zachary.jacobs@marquette.edu

Zach was born and raised in Buffalo Grove, IL. He attended Marquette University for his undergraduate studies where he earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences. During this time, he grew a passion for research while studying bone tissue engineering utilizing 3D-printing of bone scaffolds. He currently attends Marquette University School of Dentistry where his current research focuses on analyzing the mechanical properties of dentin treated with biomodification agents such as proanthocyanidins (PACs) utilizing ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. He loves working with the team and is looking forward to new opportunities. 

Mitchell Piacsek - D.D.S Student

mitchell.piacsek@marquette.edu

Mitchell received his B.S. in biomedical sciences from Marquette University in 2020. He was a member of the pre-dental scholars program while in undergrad and is now a second-year dental student. He joined Dr. Bedran-Russo’s research team in December 2020, where his research focus is on the response of dental pulp stem cells to oligomeric proanthocyanidins used as a novel pulp-capping agent.

Ihab Khatib - Undergraduate Student (Biomedical Sciences), Marquette University

ihab.khatib@marquette.edu

Ihab is currently an undergrad at Marquette University College of Health Sciences, majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Business Administration. He grew up in Palestine, Jerusalem, before moving to the U.S. Ihab is involved in various clubs and student organizations at Marquette. He is extremely excited to help Dr. Bedran-Russo in her research to develop regenerative biomaterial to replace lost tooth structure.