PATRICIA SAND BRYANT, Ph.D.

Program Director

Behavioral and Health Promotion Research

Office of Clinical, Behavioral, and Health Promotion Research

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Patricia Bryant, Ph.D. directs the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research’s (NIDCR) extramural research grant portfolio in behavioral science, epidemiological, and health services research. NIDCR is the focal point for research on all aspects of oral health and diseases affecting oral and craniofacial tissues, such as cleft lip/palate, acquired and inherited craniofacial deformities, oral cancers, salivary disorders, and orofacial pain, as well as caries and periodontal diseases. NIDCR supports a wide array of behavioral and social science research ranging from community based -health promotion research with low-income families to decrease early childhood caries and increase utilization of preventive dental services, to basic laboratory studies evaluating the role and mechanisms through which stressors slow oral mucosal wound healing in humans and animals. Dr. Bryant participates in many trans-NIH committees and has helped develop and implement many research initiatives involving funding partnerships between NIH Institutes.

Dr. Bryant received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Washington. Prior to serving at NIH, she was an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor in the School of Medicine (Rehabilitation Medicine) at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. While there she conducted NIH-funded research, taught medical and psychology students, and published over 60 research papers on behavioral interventions and behavioral assessment in health care settings.