COSTAR trainee earns award at prestigious Bones and Teeth GRC
Stephen “Steve” Hernandez, a DDS/PhD trainee in the UT San Antonio School of Dentistry’s Craniofacial Oral-Biology Student Training in Academic Research (COSTAR) program, was recently honored with a poster award at the 2026 Bones and Teeth Gordon Research Conference (GRC) in Galveston, Texas.
Hernandez joined COSTAR in February 2024 and conducts his research under the mentorship of Nikita Ruparel, DDS, PhD, program and clinic director of endodontics. For the award-winning portion of his project, he is co‑mentored by Anibal Diogenes, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of the department of endodontics.
“Steve Hernandez is an exceptionally talented graduate student with an unwavering work ethic and a deep passion for scientific discovery. Receiving this award at such a large and diverse meeting is a clear testament to his dedication to dental research and the impact of his work. Steve is undoubtedly a rising star in the field,” Diogenes shared.
Hernandez’s research project, “Prolactin: A Sexual Dimorphic Mediator of Apical Periodontitis,” investigates the role of prolactin in apical periodontitis and how its effects may differ between sexes. Hernandez explains, “A sexual dichotomy exists in apical periodontitis, in which premenopausal females are more prone to persistent pain yet less susceptible to bone loss. Following dental pulp infection, an immune response is initiated that drives both neuronal sensitization and bone resorption mechanisms in the disease. We are currently investigating the role of prolactin, an adaptive stress hormone classically known as a pituitary-derived hormone, in apical periodontitis-associated inflammation, pain, and bone resorption. Our findings suggest that prolactin mediates sex-dependent immune responses that may contribute to the paradox of increased persistent pain, but reduced bone resorption observed in females.”
When reflecting on his time at the conference, Hernandez shared, “Attending and presenting at the Bones and Teeth Conference was a crucial step in my development as a clinician-scientist. The opportunity to share my work with leaders and other students in the field, and to engage in meaningful scientific discussions, was incredibly valuable to my training. Working with Dr. Diogenes on this project has been an especially rewarding experience, and this work is helping build the scientific foundation for the questions I hope to investigate throughout my career.”
The COSTAR program’s mission is to train highly skilled, collaborative scientists capable of advancing dental, oral and craniofacial research. Hernandez’s achievement reflects both his dedication and the program’s commitment to fostering rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship within a research‑intensive academic health science environment.