Dr. Simple Futarmal Kothari has won the ASTRA 2023 Title, Outstanding Researcher Award for her specialization in Dentistry/Facial pain and Headache disorders. I am a dentist with specialization in facial pain and headache disorders. I am currently employed as a postdoctoral scientist and a clinical teacher at Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and Department of Dentistry and Oral Health (IOOS), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. I completed my graduate degree in dentistry from M.R. Ambedkar Dental College, Bengaluru, India. I hold masters in headache disorders and facial pain from University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I also have Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research and Data Management from India. In addition, I hold a PhD in Orofacial neuroscience from Section for Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, IOOS, Aarhus University, Denmark.
For more than 12 years, I have shown my passion and fascination in the field of orofacial pain and headache disorders. My research specifically focuses on orofacial neuroscience that includes study of mechanisms related to orofacial pain and headache disorders, special care dentistry in patients with brain injury and mechanisms related to brain stimulation, neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation. I am investigating the impact of orofacial and dental health on patients with brain injury and bridging the gap between medicine and dentistry by studying post-traumatic headaches and facial pain in brain injury population. In appreciation of my research work, I have been honored with several awards. I received Harold Wolff-John Graham Award for outstanding research in Headache and Facial Pain by American Academy of Neurology in 2017, Neuroscience group young investigator award by Wiley-Blackwell in 2018, IADR INfORM Barry J Sessle investigator Award in 2021. I have also received several travel grants to present my research at the international conferences. To name a few are- Nordisk Odontologisk Forening (NOF) travel stipend to attend a conference in London (2018), and Financial aid award for trainees by International Association for Study of Pain (IASP) to present my research at Boston, USA. I have also been successful in securing international funding such as IASP Early Career Research Grant and European Research Council (ERC) seed funding grant from Aarhus University. I have good publication record of more than 25 international publications in peer-reviewed journals. I hold a position of Review Editor for Frontiers in Dental Medicine. I also serve as a reviewer for a number of well-known peer reviewed journals such as Pain, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, Clinical Oral Investigations and Clinical Journal of Pain and many more. I am a member of several reputable international societies and associations such as International Association of Dental Research (IADR), International Association for Study of Pain and Scandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON). I am dedicated and an emerging scientist in the field of dentistry and neuroscience, especially in the field of facial pain and headache research. I am honored to receive the ASTRA-2023 Outstanding Researcher Award in Dentistry/Facial Pain and Headache Disorders. I would like to dedicate this award to my mentors, parents, my loving husband and daughter.