Dr. David Wu awarded Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship
The award will support Wu’s early-career research and academic development at HSDM
Dr. David Wu, instructor in Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity, and interim program director of the advanced graduate periodontology program, has been honored with an Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship. For three decades, the fellowship has supported junior faculty at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and Harvard Medical School, providing financial support during a critical stage of their academic careers.
“Receiving the Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship is deeply meaningful because it represents both recognition and investment in the next generation of clinician-scientists at Harvard. It affirms that the School sees value in supporting career development at the intersection of periodontology, bioengineering, and clinical innovation,” said Wu.
Wu's work focuses on bringing new scientific ideas into real-world oral healthcare. He aims to turn discoveries made in the lab into practical solutions for patients with unmet dental needs.
Support from the Fellowship will provide Wu with protected time to focus on launching a rigorous research program centered on advancing oral regeneration through bioengineering, innovation, and translation. His research team is currently creating a “periodontium-on-chip,” a small model that mimics how the gums, ligament, and bone interact in the mouth. The model recreates those conditions in a controlled environment so scientists can better study oral health diseases and test new treatments.
“What excites me most is the translational potential of this work for patients who live with oral or periodontal diseases and related systemic conditions,” said Wu. “By combining organ-on-chip technology, next-generation biomaterials, and data science, the goal is to de-risk promising therapies earlier, reduce reliance on animal models, and create a training environment where graduate students, residents, and students learn to think about the process of innovation from discovery to clinical impact from the very beginning of their careers.”
Wu joined HSDM in 2023 as a faculty member in OMII after completing a DMSc in oral biology and a certificate in periodontology at HSDM. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Medicine degrees from McGill University.
The Shore Fellowship is given annually to an HSDM faculty member in honor of Aina M. Auskaps, DMD55, a Latvian immigrant and one of the first women to receive her dental degree from Harvard. Wu was honored at the Shore Fellowship Program annual ceremony in early December.
“This award reinforces my commitment to advancing patient-centered innovation while mentoring future leaders to advance human health,” said Wu. “I am deeply appreciative of the support from my mentors who continue to inspire me, my students and mentees whom I have the privilege to both teach and learn from every day, and my wife and family who encourage me on this purposeful journey.”