2025 6th Annual Joint DOCTRC Retreat
December 9 – 10, 2025 | Los Angeles, CA
The 6th DOCTRC Annual Joint Retreat was held December 9 – 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. Drawing over 40 participants in-person, with many more joining online, the two-day gathering centered on advancing collaborative translational research in the dental, oral, and craniofacial space.
In addition to the progress update presentations by the Interdisciplinary Translational Project (ITP) teams, the event included Milestones & Mindsets Across the Founder Journey, a discussion and workshop with a panel of distinguished guests, featured presentations from successful academic entrepreneurs, Science, Startups, and Success, and on the topic of FDA Phase-Out of Animal Testing Requirements.
Thank you to all attendees, both in-person and online. We hope you enjoyed the event, and look forward to seeing you at our future events!
Event agenda:
December 9, 2025 (Day 1)
- Welcome Remarks: Yang Chai, DDS, PhD | David Kohn, PhD – DOCTRC leadership
- ITP Progress Updates (C-DOCTOR & Translational Resource Center)
- Workshop: Milestones & Mindsets Across the Founder Journey
- Science, Startups, and Success: Presentations and Breakout Discussion
- Networking Reception
December 10, 2025 (Day 2)
- Brainstorming for the Next Phase
- FDA Phase-Out of Animal Testing Requirements
- ITP Progress Updates (C-DOCTOR & Translational Resource Center)
- Closed door session: DOCTRC business
Welcome | December 9, 2025 (Day 1)
- Yang Chai, DDS, PhD | David Kohn, PhD – DOCTRC leadership
Science, Startups, and Success: Presentations and Breakout Discussion | December 9, 2025 (Day 1)
- Intranasal Delivery for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders: Bench to Nasdaq, Thomas Chen, MD, PhD, Professor (University of Southern California)
- Histotripsy Cancer Treatment: My Journey from Bench to Bedside and Lessons Learned, Zhen Xu, PhD, Professor (University of Michigan)
FDA Phase-Out of Animal Testing Requirements | December 10, 2025 (Day 2)
- Innovative Approaches to Drug Development: FDA’s Move to Phase out Animal Testing and Its Global Regulatory Impact, Erika Fernandez, BPharm, MSC, RAC, Associate Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, Gilead Sciences
