Team
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Founding Team
Andrew Brown, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew brings 12 years of research experience in mineralized tissue bioengineering, resorbable metallic device development and dental pre-clinical biocompatibility and performance assessments to the Emergence Dental team. Andrew was a clinical assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Periodontics and Preventative Dentistry following completion of his PhD in Bioengineering at Pitt. In addition to his research role, Andrew was Assistant Director of Commercial Translation Programs at sciVelo, a Pitt program focused on identifying, cultivating and advancing Pitt’s most promising life and health sciences translational research to market-ready solutions. During his time at sciVelo, Andrew managed 5 program managers working with a team of 25 associates across 7 scientific thematic areas and 5 federally funded commercial translation programs to progress projects towards licensing, new company formation, and industry partnerships in collaboration with other stakeholders at Pitt.
Andrew led or co-led funded grants totalling over $250,000 to advance the commercial translation of the magnesium technologies that were eventually licensed to Emergence Dental, including support from Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation, Coulter Translational Research Partners, and National Science Foundation I-Corps programs.
Charles Sfeir, DDS, PhD
Chair, Clinical and Technology Advisory Boards
Charles is Chair of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Periodontics and Preventative Dentistry and has over 30 years of clinical experience in periodontics, as well as research experience in bone and dentin tissue engineering, biomineralization, and biodegradable metals. Charles received his DDS from Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France and his PhD in Molecular and Biochemistry from Northwestern University
Charles has published over 60 peer reviewed publications in these research areas and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation and Coulter Translational Research Partners. Charles has extensive experience in the development of bone regeneration products and their evaluation in pre-clinical models, and has previously licensed bone regeneration technologies to new companies for further development.
Clinical Advisory Board
Kelly Williams, DMD
Kelly is a founding member of Emergence Dental’s Clinical Advisory Board, as well as Vice Chair of Clinical Care of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Periodontics and Preventative Dentistry. Kelly received her DMD and Specialty Certificate in Periodontology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. In addition to her clinical expertise in bone regeneration, dental implant, and periodontal procedures, Kelly has led multiple pre-clinical studies evaluating Emergence Dental’s magnesium dental bone grafting technologies.
Current Interns
Sonam Parikh
Project Management Intern
Sonam is Emergence Dental’s project management intern and is pursuing her MS in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation & Management at Tufts University. Sonam received her BS in Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University. She has previously worked in medical device companies where she performed various mechanical and biological tests on implantable devices. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes and trying new restaurants.
Past Interns
Quentin Snyder
Project Management Intern
Quentin participated in Emergence Dental’s project management intern program while pursuing his MS in Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Quentin received his BS in Biology, with a concentration in physiology and a minor in math, at Duquesne University. He has experience in coursework involving tissue engineering, experimental biology, human physiology, endocrinology, and computational biomedical engineering. In his spare time, he can be found exercising playing guitar, or at a concert.
Selma Sosic, MS
Project Management Intern
Selma participated in Emergence Dental’s internship program while pursuing her MS in Medical Product Engineering in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering. During her time with Emergence Dental, Selma led the development of Emergence Dental’s project management infrastructure, assisted with regulatory and market research activities, and participated in pre-design control device development. Selma is now Assistant Product Line Manager, Fire Service Technology and Connectivity at MSA – The Safety Company.