“The industry I’m in is actually two in one: teaching and research. I love teaching and interacting with students. In many ways I learn as I teach them. I love their enthusiasm and their optimism. The thing about research is you are a student for life. You constantly have to learn new skills. It requires you to be a lifelong learner, which is something I enjoy.”
“The idea of working in my current field came from my original interest in microorganisms and how they affect the immune system of the host. Previously, I had worked on different pathogens in the body, not those found in the mouth. Most researchers are attracted to fields that are new where there is a lot still to be discovered and the oral microbiome is an area where there is still a lot we don’t know and so much to be learned.”
If you feel like you’re slowing down a bit as you age, you’re not alone. Many of our systems (including our brain) tend to taper off as we get older and the immune system is no exception, says David Ojcius, an expert in immunology research at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California.
It’s no secret that we rely on our immune systems to fight off common infections. But what you might not know is that the immune system is highly evolved and can even sense danger, explains David Ojcius, the Assistant Dean of Research at University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California.
It turns out what’s going on in your mouth has a much bigger impact on your overall health than you might think, says David Ojcius, the assistant dean of research and the chair of the Biomedical Sciences department at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California.