The John Greene Society (JGS) is the primary student-run dental research organization at the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry. We represent the local chapter of the National Student Research Group (NSRG), a subset of the American Association of Dental Research. An independent registered campus organization (RCO), we receive support from and send representation to the Associated Dental Students (ADS) of UCSF. We also fall within the structural framework of NSRG, thus making our group a part of organized dentistry at a national level.

History

The John Greene Society was founded in 2002, taking its name from Dr. John C. Greene, Dean Emeritus at UCSF, whose leadership was instrumental in the dental school's rise to prominence as a premier research institution, and who was much beloved by students and faculty alike. A major goal at the time was to encourage active student participation in meaningful research, bringing student research into harmony with the quality investigations being conducted by the UCSF dental faculty.

Since that time, the John Greene Society has shown tremendous growth as an organization. Enrollment in the JGS has increased in each year of its existence, now standing at nearly one third of the pre-doctoral student body at the School of Dentistry. The JGS is one of the most recognizable, vocal, and respected student groups on campus. Student research participation at UCSF is at an all-time high, with dozens of students conducting semester-long fellowships each year, and many more traveling to present their findings at conferences across California, the country and the world.

Goals

Throughout the year, the JGS strives to present student research opportunities covering a wide spectrum of interests and spanning multiple levels of commitment, thus appealing to as broad a range of dental students as possible. We aim to inform the student body about ongoing research projects at UCSF and beyond, as well as offering guidance on how to become involved in such endeavors.

Much of what we do focuses on connecting highly motivated students with research mentors that can transform those students' interests into meaningful experiences and discoveries. We offer workshops and peer networking events that help students share ideas and advice in a comfortable social environment.

We offer financial assistance for our members to travel to conferences to present their research, and we publish a quarterly newsletter, Explorations, to report our current accomplishments and upcoming events to the greater student body at UCSF.

We strive to establish positive attitudes toward the importance dental research among the student body. We take on the responsibility of being adaptive to the needs and desires of changing student populations, while serving as a reminder to the tremendous impact quality science will have on the practice of dentistry in all parts of the world.

As we represent a critical portion of student interests at our dental school, we embrace the need to be active participants in representative student government. As a part of national and international organized dentistry, we have been proud to elect representatives to national office within the NSRG each of the last two years.

Special Acknowledgement

The JGS has blossomed under the guidance of our faculty supervisor, Dr. Richard Jordan, Dean for Research at the School of Dentistry. Special thanks also go to Roger Mraz.