OHRI Director

Dr. Hara is a dentist, researcher and educator, with 25 years of experience in the dental field. He currently holds the academic/administrative positions of Professor (tenured) and Cariology Division Director in the Department of Cariology and Operative Dentistry, and Director of the Oral Health Research Institute, both at Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD). His research and teaching responsibilities focus on the fundamental understanding of dental hard-tissue pathologies, specifically dental caries and erosive tooth wear, as well as on the development and test of clinical strategies for the management and prevention of these conditions. He has been the PI, Co-PI and Co-I in several research grants funded by federal agencies and oral care industry, totaling over US$ 14 million in funds; and has an extensive track-record of publications including over 150 full-papers and 9 book chapters. In addition to the administrative functions at IUSD, he is also actively involved as reviewer, consultant and/or member of several dental organizations, including the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the American Dental Association, the Cariology Research Group of the International Association for Dental Research and the European Organization for Caries Research. 

OHRI Medical Director

Research Study Dentist

Assistant Director OHRI Clinical Research Core

Research Dental Hygienist and Study Coordinator

​Liliya graduated from St. Petersburg, Russia School of Dentistry, DDS diploma. She worked in St. Petersburg Pediatric Dental Clinic until 1991. In 1991, Liliya moved to USA with her family and started to work at Oral Health Research Institute, as a research technician in 1992.​

​In 2000, after graduated from IU School of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene program, Liliya continued to work at Oral Health Research Institute as clinical coordinator and dental hygienist. Since August 2004, she is Certified Clinical Research Professional.​

Liliya organizes and coordinates the execution of clinical research studies. Liliya also oversees research projects in the Dental school with record maintenance. In her free time, she likes to travel around the word.

Research Dental Hygienist and Study Coordinator​

Parul Patel graduated in 1997 from Middlesex County College, New Jersey, with Associate in Applied Science, Dental Hygiene.  After 15 years of dental hygiene experience in private practice, Parul found the research opportunity in 2012 at Oral Health Research Institute.  Parul is a research coordinator since 2014 and passionate about learning what research offers.

Clinical Operations and Compliance Coordinator​

Van is originally from Burma and has lived in India, where she studied from high school through postgraduate on different regions – from the north-eastern to New Delhi. After moving to the U.S. in 2000, she pursued a M.S. degree at the IU School of Informatics successfully graduating in 2004.​

​Van joined OHRI in 2007 as Clinical Research Study Assistant and has worked in various clinical research projects. In 2018, she took on another role as Assistant Infection Control Coordinator and was appointed as the OHRI Clinical Operations and Compliance Coordinator in 2023. Van’s responsibilities include managing the logistics involved in planning and conducting our clinical studies. She is also responsible for keeping track of OHRI clinical staff FTE distribution, study subject recruitment and payment, reviewing study protocols, clinical SOPs and website, among other clinical functions.

Clinical Research Study Coordinator

IRB/Regulatory Advisor