Faculty: Dr. Alexandre R. Vieira
At East Carolina University’s School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Alexandre R. Vieira is leading efforts to expand and strengthen the school’s research enterprise.
“Our school of Dental Medicine is relatively new compared to others in the country and it does not have an explicit research portfolio yet,” said Vieira, professor and associate dean for research. “The challenge here is to actually build something and help create a legacy of what will be.”
What makes Vieira equipped to lead this charge? His strong foundation in traditional dentistry, as well as expertise in human molecular genetics through his research and academic work.
“I am trained as a dentist, but because of a particular class during my pediatric dentistry residency I wanted to switch gears a bit, so I received my Ph.D. in genetics,” he said.
Vieira’s introduction to the field of dentistry started at a young age watching his uncle who was a facial surgeon.
He found himself inspired by both the hands-on work and the enriching learning atmosphere.
“I bring this background of being a dentist studying pediatrics and special care needs interested in susceptibility to disease from the genetic standpoint and, of course, my bias is kind of facial – the mouth and teeth area.”
As a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vieira moved to the United States to pursue his post-doctorate studies at the University of Iowa’s Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center.
It was when he was working as a post-doctoral fellow that the U.S. finished the Human Genome Project, too.
The Human Genome Project, a scientific effort mapping the full sequence of human DNA, provided insights into how our bodies work and improved medical research and treatment.
“We learned the vast majority of diseases that effect humans are complex – including more than one gene and environmental factors that can play a role – cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular risks, asthma, arthritis,” he said. “In dentistry, it’s the same case with everything from oral cancer, dental caries, periodontitis, malocclusion, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and facial pain.”
In many ways, Vieira started his career focusing on these complexities. Instead of wanting to simply find a solution to a problem, he has always been concerned about the root of the problem.
“I think that gave me an edge to thrive in the chaos,” he said. “It’s complicated because it’s hard to measure, and it’s hard to isolate variables because it’s not just one thing that’s causing anything. A lot of what we’ve been doing is trying to characterize all people’s health trajectories instead of just studying one disease at a time.”
His initial work ultimately led to an opportunity at the University of Pittsburgh, where he began his academic career as a faculty member and spent 18 years engaged in teaching and research.
“I created a data registry at the dental school there and I had approval to ask everyone that would come into the building to ask them for two things: to look at their records so I could pull data and for them to spit into a cup, so I had biological samples,” he said.
Much of his research can be found in two books he recently wrote prior to joining ECU: “The Overlooked Individual: Susceptibility to Dental Caries, Erosive Tooth Wear and Amelogenesis,” and “Genetic Basis of Oral health Conditions.”
“I designed this protocol, and I managed to sustain it for 18 years and I had more than 7,000 people participate in it.”
Most recently, Vieira served as the 52nd President of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR).
Vieira said his background in dentistry, his success from the data registry in Pittsburgh and the visibility it gave him, as well as the experience he had in Norway in the public health system, gave him a unique perspective on what could be developed here at ECU.
He admitted that it was ECU’s mission to provide for the rural areas of the state that attracted him to his current role as the school’s associate dean for research.
“The creation of the dental school was based on creating access to care for people in rural areas,” he said. “Our school also has eight different training sites, in addition to the headquarters in Greenville, throughout North Carolina where students are learning to do just that.”
The school’s eight community service learning centers (CSLCs) are in located in Ahoskie, Brunswick County, Elizabeth City, Davidson County, Lillington, Robeson County, Spruce Pine, and Sylva.
By having these centers in rural and underserved locations, ECU students and residents gain hands-on experience and provide oral care to individuals who may not have the resources to maintain their dental needs.
“We need to focus our efforts on our mission and address these rural disparities, as well as bring in new talent,” said Vieira. “We are trying to create an environment where we not only recruit individuals to the dental school but also attract other units to join forces with us because we continue to see that oral health is important to overall health.”
One of those units is ECU’s Master of Science in biomedical engineering program.
“I’m creating pathways for our dental students to have more continuous access to research projects, so creating a research course that allows them to be recognized and have research credits,” he said. “I am also negotiating a course for master’s students here in the biomedical engineering program that would be a focus area into facial and dental research, so they could have dental-related projects.”
Vieira has recently been approved to implement a similar research protocol here at ECU like he had at Pittsburgh.
“I’ve designed a similar project here where I ask everyone who comes into the dental school, including the CSLCs across the state, to look at their records and get a biological spit sample. Hopefully, this infrastructure will allow us to address the issues that are relevant to our area.”
Over the summer months, Vieira runs the school’s Summer Scholar’s Research Program, where he gets incoming first-year dental students early so come the fall semester, they are full-time and working on a research project with faculty.
“I enjoy having the support to explore all the opportunities that exist here at the school and throughout the state,” he said.
FAST FACTS
Name: Alexandre R. Vieira
Title: Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro
PIRATE PRIDE
Years working at ECU: Almost 2
What I do at ECU: Help to set an agenda for research and scholarly work at the School of Dental Medicine and keep my own independent research projects
What I love about ECU: The collegial environment and support
Research interests: Individual susceptibility to oral, dental, and craniofacial conditions; impact of overall health on oral health
What advice do you give to students? Take the time to read more, aim for 50 books/year, but at least no less than 12 books (one per month).
Favorite class to teach and/or favorite teaching moment? Talking about how the scientific method (transforming one’s curiosity into a question/hypothesis and see how that can be tested and answered) is the path for critical thinking and inquiry
QUICK QUIZ
What do you like to do when not working? Cooking
Last thing I watched on TV: A medical TV drama called “Critical”
First job: First time I was paid was as a volleyball player for a large club
Guilty pleasure: Doing nothing
Favorite meal: Rice, beans, farofa and ground beef
One thing most people don’t know about me: I like heavy metal (Iron Maiden and Deep Purple are my top 2).